Solomon Sekhaolelo

Solomon Sekhaolelo, an Ndebele artist, was born in 1937 in Heidelberg, Gaauteng.

In 1947 his family moved to Soweto, where he went to school. He spent a very happy childhood with his family. As a young boy art interested him and in his spare time he made clay sculptures and weaved Sotho hats. He was constantly drawing and painting from books, using mainly chalks. He is multi-talented being a cabinet maker, tailor, pattern designer, musician who composes his own songs and is a licensed fisherman.

Solomon is comfortable in several media but at his best when using oil paints. He is highly inventive in his search for self expression. He developed for example, the idea of using a gardener's insecticide sprayer in a way that resembles so called "airbrush" work. His work can be described as sophisticated and many of his paintings, particularly his more abstract township scenes, contain excellent formal elements of composition, show great refinement of line and space, and there is a studied restraint in the use of colour. Other of his works are dream-scapes, portrayed in a personal manner with interesting atmosphere. He is able to create over a wide range of subject matter and his work is always thoughtful and well conceived.

When he was twenty he marketed his paintings in curio shops around Johannesburg. This was the beginning of a serious professional career in art.

Exhibitions:

- Close to 50 group exhibitions around SA and in Germany

- 7 extremely successful one man shows

His work can be found in corporations overseas, locally as well as in private homes. His work is represented at the University of Fort Hare.

SIGNIFICANT ART EXHIBITIONS

- 1980 GROUP EXHIBITION AT CARLTON CENTRE ASSOCIOTION OF ART

- 1983 GROUP EXHIBITION AT LIDCHI ART GALLERY (ATHENS)

- 1988 GROUP EXHIBITION OF ONE SPIRIT GALLERY WIK.COMMUNITY

- 1989 GROUP EXHIBITION IN SOWETO IMAGED IN LONDON

- 1989 GROUP EXHIBITION IN ATLANTA ATHLOPE UNIVERSITY IN THE

MEMORY OF THE LATE MR MARTIN LUTHER KING OF THE USA

- 1990 GROUP EXHIBITION AT ART AFRICA HALFWAY HOUSE

- 1990 EXHIBITION (ACFF) CENTRE NOTHINGHAM LONDON

- 1990 ONE MAN SHOW AT FRIENDS OF EARTH GALLERY IN AUSTRALIA

- 1992 LOCAL EXHIBITION AT ROSEBANK ANTIGVITY GALLERY IN JHB

- 1993 GROUP EXHIBITION AT BOTSWANA MUSEUM & MONUMENT GALLERY

- 1994 THREE SHOWS AT HOLDSWORTH GALLERIES WOOLAHRA 2025 LONDON.

- 1995 GROUP EXHIBITION JHB INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICES

- 1995 GROUP EXHIBITION ART OF AFRICA 2709 S.FEDERAL HIGHWAY

IN DELERAY BEACH MIAMI FLORIDA,USA

- 1995 ARIQUE AFRIQUE ART INTERNATIONAL IN WASHINGTON D.C

- 1995 SANDTON ART GALLERY

- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION IN GHAHMSTOWN INTERNATIONAL

- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION IN ABSA GALLERY, JOHANNESBURG

- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION IN ART AFRIQUE INTERNATIONAL LTD.

VIRGINIA MANOR ROAD, BELTSVILLE, WASHINGTON D.C

- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION `OUT OF AFRICA` BANGOR DRIVE, FORT WASHINGTON

- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION CAPE TO CAIRO IN EGYPT

- 1997 SPRINGS LIBRARY GALLERY

- 1997 ROODEPOORT ART MUSEUM

- 1997 GROUP EXHIBITION IN JOHANNESBURG 62 GALWAY ROAD PARKVIEW

- 1998 GROUP EXHIBITION AFRICAN WINDOW MUSEUM IN PRETORIA

- 1999 GROUP EXHIBITION NELSON MANDELA DAY IN MAURITIOUS

- 2000 S.A. ASSOCIATION OF ARTS-PRETORIA

- 2001 TOP OF AFRICA CARLTON CENTRE