Following a residency with David Krut Workshop, Stephen Langa's solo exhibition Inceptions of Black Serenity comes to David Krut's The Blue House on Sat, Aug 3.

The Limpopo-born, Joburg-based artist has an atmospheric way of portraying the ordinary; drawing on notions from traditional and still life portrait paintings, but with a distinctly South African feel. "My charcoal linework and oil paintings have become pictorial visions that have a mesmerizing effect, inspired directly by my emotive feelings," Langa says. "One can immediately identify and engage with the characters portrayed, feeling a desire to know them better in person." 

From South African legend George Pemba to renowned French painter Claude Monet, Langa's stylistic influences are far-reaching. In terms of subject matter, black cultural experiences are at the heart of his work, shaped both by memories from his hometown in Limpopo and his life in the city of Johannesburg today.

"Langa’s role in the history of portraiture is significant, particularly in the current context where black portraiture is only recently gaining recognition in traditional art history," reads an excerpt from the exhibition text. "His work records life, being, and history, inserting a celebration of ease into the canon. His pieces are intimate, unposed, and non-performative. The images simply are what they are – the works illustrate the sensitivities, the joys, the quiet, the personal, and the communal." 

Stephen Langa's solo Inceptions of Black Serenity opens at David Krut's The Blue House gallery space in Parkwood on Sat, Aug 3 from 11:00. Parking is available at the Parks Centre opposite the Woolworths entrance.