​Contemporary South African Art

Born: 1939 Augsburg, Germany.

Resided in SA from 1970.
A painter and a graphic artist of landscapes, portraits, still life, figures, genre and of pictures containing socio-political comment. Works in oil, acrylic, watercolour, ink, pencil, wood and in various graphic media. Creates mosaics.

Studies: 1959-60 life drawing at a night school in Augsburg, West Germany, under Butz, however, he is mainly self-taught.

Profile: From 1980 member of the SAAA. 1981-84 taught printmaking at the Michaelis School of Fine Art; from 1985 a part-time teacher in etching at the Community Arts Project, Cape Town. A number of illustrations for books and periodicals. He has travelled throughout Europe and in 1972 to India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran and Egypt.

Exhibitions:    He has participated in numerous group exhibitions from 1950 in West Germany, SA and Botswana; 1965 Ulm, West Germany, first of seven solo exhibitions held in West Germany and SA; 1982 National Gallery, Gaborone, Botswana, Exhibition of SA Art, 1985 Tributaries, touring SA and West Germany.

Represented: Augsburg Archives, West Germany; Durban Art Gallery, National Gallery, Gaborone, Botswana; New Hospital, Munich, West Germany; SA National Gallery, Cape Town.

Publications by Zylla: “Inter-Action “, 1982, a report of a “happening” at the Community Arts Project, Cape Town.

 

About the Artist:



Zylla was born in Germany living as a child through the ravages of World War II and its aftermath. Resident in South Africa since 1970, he became prominent as an artist highly critical of apartheid in the 1980’s with a stream of drawings, prints and paintings. These works are widely acknowledged as critical for understanding resistance art, an important chapter in South African art history. The era of resistance art drew to a close in 1994, however, Zylla has continued to work within a paradigm of social critique. In this respect, he has made works about globalisation, pollution, global warming and natural resources, capitalism, crime, drugs, refugees, alternative energy and transport and attitudes towards disability. His works deal with issues which affect us all, they tell the plight of the world and point to Zylla’s concern with the destiny of humanity, the future of the planet and importantly, art as a tool for change.

Manfred Zylla art & resistance is now available for sale at the gallery and selected outlets.



Manfred Zylla is currently working on a new series of work based on the novel The 120 Days of Sodom . His next solo exhibition will open at EineWeltHouse in Munich, Germany.



Article credits to:

Zwischen Den Welten Newspaper Article Nov 2012