BIOGRAPHY: Dumisani Mabaso
Dumisani was born in 1955 in Soweto. He was introduced to art by his father who was a well-known commercial printer in Soweto. His passion for print and art was enhanced by art studies in 1970-74 at the YMCA and at the Mofolo Arts Centre with Dan Rakgoathe, and then for a year in 1977-78 at Rorke’s Drift Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. Dumisani has lectured at many community art centres, including Mofolo, FUBA, African Institute of Art, and the JHB Art Foundation. He has had several solo shows and group exhibitions in South Africa and in the United States, Australia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
In 1978, with a view to contributing further to the development of black artists, Dumisani founded the Sguzu Printmakers’ Workshop in Soweto, using an etching press that had originally been purchased by Cyprian Shilakoe. He was also co-founder with Anthony Nkosi of the Hammanskraal Workshop. He has printed many artworks at both the Artist Proof Studio and the Artists’ Press in Mpumalanga and is a gifted teacher as many Artist Proof Studio students will agree.
Dumisani does painting and printmaking. He is a master of manipulating his materials and printmaking techniques to get maximum effect out of his prints. He pushes the mixing of colours in lithography almost to its limit. Texture and pattern are an important part of the work that he creates. Inspired by traditional African pottery and craftwork, he weaves the identity of Africa into his work.