Peter Sibanda is so literal and exact that this becomes his strength and signature. Graduate of the Open Window Art Academy, his glossy, lush, detailed paintings depict woman, mostly black, in surroundings so opulent as to be positively palatial. With colour so rich, intense and glowing that it seems more Technicolor than pigment, with meticulous detail and hallucinatory finish, these works are a species of Grand Kitsch. I can compare them to no other artist except that master of kitsch, the American Jeff Koons.
Yet Sibanda also refers, via Hollywood and Disneyworld, to Africa, a specifically contemporary South African. He reflects a very beautiful black middle class and its aspirations while offering a critique of its advance into luxury and decadence. ‘The Splash’ which I would never attempt to interpret in a short article such as this, is one of the most bizarre, puzzling and fascinating paintings I have seen.
- Ingrid Stevens
Artist’s Biography
Peter Sibanda was born in 1 May 1972, Mabopane, North West. In 1990 he was moved to Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria where he completed his Matric at Phelindabe High School. In 1993 he moved to Soshanguve, north of Pretoria where he now resides.
Artistic Profile
During the process of developing his art interest, a female librarian from Vosloorus took him to the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 1987. The visit stimulated his interest in the arts. Later that year, he began private lessons offered freely at the Johannesburg Art Gallery under the guidance of Michelle Jersky and Stanford Cher, up until early 1990 when he moved to Pretoria. He began painting full time in 1997
Artist CV
Education
1995 – 1997 Diploma in Fine Arts and Advanced Certificate in Visual Communication from Open Window Art Academy
Exhibitions
2013 June: Orangerie art exhibition of 38 South African artworks - Orangerie of the Senate, Paris, France2013 February: Rain Battiss & Peter Sibanda - Trent Cameo Art Gallery, Waterkloof, Pretoria2012 November: Kamers Vol Geskenke art show - Open Window@Sax, Irene2012 July: Winter art exhibition - Evarard Read gallery, Cape Town2012 April: World Art Day - Association of Arts gallery, Pretoria2010 September: Pretoria Remastered - Trent Cameo Art Gallery, Waterkloof, Pretoria2010 February: Standing on the Edge of the Sand - Association of Arts gallery, Pretoria2009 May: Reservoir - Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein2008 May: Black Room - Association of Arts, Pretoria2007 November: Cultural Encounters - St Lorient Fashion & Art Gallery, Pretoria2007 November: Out of Bounds - Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town2007 April: Saint Sebastian Exhibition - Association of Arts, Pretoria2006 April: Celebrating Rembrandt - Association of Arts, Pretoria2004 November: Pretoria - Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town2000 July: Recent works - The Open Window Gallery, Pretoria1999 January: Eight former students - The Open Window Gallery, Pretoria1999 June: B(L)ACK by popular demand - The Open Window Gallery, Pretoria1997 October: Extention - The Open Window Gallery, Pretoria1997 November: Little Gems - The Open Window Gallery, PretoriaAwards and Achievements
July 2007 Winner of 'The Coke Side of Life' Competition held by the (ABI) Amalgamated Beverage Industries
Finalist in the following National Art Competitions
1998 - Sasol New Signatures Awards2000 – Ekurhuleni Fine Art Awards2000 – Top 14 in the Kempton Park Thembisa Fine Arts Award Competition2001 – ABSA L'Atelier Awards2004 – Johannesburg Art City ProjectJudging Art Competitions
2013 June: Peter was one of the five independent judges chosen by the South African Post Office to judge the "Big 5 Postcard illustrations Competition 2013" organized at the Philatelic Services, Silverton.
Design
Stamp Designs
2013 "To celebrate the triumph of the human spirit" the South African Post Office launched ten postage stamps, a canceller and two commemorative envelope for the "19th World Transplant Games" designed by Peter Sibanda.2009 designed five postage stamps, a canceller and a commemorative envelope for the South African Post Office reflecting Occupational Health and Safety in South African work place.2005 asked by the Philatelic Services in Silverton, to design 2 Christmas Postage Stamps as well as a commemorative envelope, for the South African Post Office. These were issued on the 3rd of October 2005.2004 commissioned by the Philatelic Services in Silverton, to design 5 postage stamps as well as a commemorative envelope, for the Post Office, in celebration and commemoration of 10 years of a democratic South Africa.2002 designed the Aids Awareness Stamp Booklet, containing 10 self-adhesive stamps for the South African Post Office. Other parts of these stamps were on the cover, of the November - December edition, of Setempe Magazine.2001 commissioned by the South African Post Office to design the first international letter rate postage stamp, and a commemorative envelope for the Johannesburg World Summit held in August 2002.Commissions
2004 commissioned to paint a portrait of Mr.F.Titi, a former CEO of ARMSCO in ErasmuskloofCollections
ARMSCOTelkomSAB, Sandton OfficesAfrican Trading PortPretoria Art MuseumPhilatelic ServicesPrivate Collections
