Don’t miss our important art exhibition in Mayfair – with visitor slots extended due to high demand
Dualities: Women's Empowerment in Africa is now running from Saturday morning on November 18 through to Saturday afternoon on November 25. Do book your tickets (at no cost) via this link.
Patron Naomie Harris and a collective of young women artists from South Africa describe One to One’s Mentor Mothers as their heroines. This exhibition introduces the Undiscovered Canvas collective, founded by Nomaza Nongqunga Coupez, who will be in London throughout the exhibition, together with one of South Africa’s most successful young artists, Nene Mahlangu.
Nomaza Nongqunga Coupez, originally from the last-mile village of Ngqeleni in the Eastern Cape, studied biomedical technology and worked in the Eastern Cape as a laboratory technician during the height of South Africa's HIV pandemic between 2001 and 2007.
She says, “I saw the infection rates rising out of control, right there in the lab where I was working, and within my own family. One of my brothers died as a result of HIV; my sister and other brother are living with HIV. And I remember vividly my sister’s concern about preventing the transmission to her own baby – which with a great deal of care she managed.
“So, the work of One to One resonates very closely to me. I have seen how reducing stigmas around HIV is saving lives every day. That’s what leads to a diagnosis and access to treatment.
"Art is a voice. And art is a medium to address stigma, to shine a light on misrepresentation and achieve social justice. This is how the exhibition, Dualities, means mobility to me. It means empowering women to live the life they deserve.”
Nene Mahlangu made history in South Africa as the youngest woman commissioned to design two coins celebrating 25 years of democracy. She is creating a special artwork for the One to One exhibition, responding to her admiration for the charity.
She says, “Being from Johannesburg I had no idea about the difficulties faced by women in the Eastern Cape. I had no real feeling for how cut off, how overlooked they can be.
“One to One Mentor Mothers are out there saving lives every, walking that difficult terrain from home to home. They are my heroines.”
The renowned Lulama Wolf, Nthabiseng Boledi Kekana and Lesego Seoketsa are also exhibiting work, alongside photographer Rob Piper.
Dualities: Women’s Empowerment in Africa is now running from Saturday morning on November 18 through to Saturday afternoon on November 25. Do book your tickets (at no cost) via this link.