Sonke Nvubu: The I in the Eyes of Paint

Phumulani Luthuli aka Sonke Nvubu is a Soweto born artist and studying journalism and project management, and attending the Campus of Arts has influenced his approach to his work. Born in 1985 in an apartheid regime, Nvubu reflects upon South Africa's post-apartheid, civil war identity and history, grappling with the national mythology of inequality and fusing it into art and literature. Nvubu engages the complexity of life, death and the cosmos, and his repertoire of imaging turns mixed media and colour patterns into palpable works, forming an abstract language and illusionary world of spiritual awakening, knowledge and understanding. His body of work transforms patterns into abstract microcosms of collective memory, visually reshaping a broad range of Neo-Expressionism into cultural, literary and philosophical allusions of township life, old and new mysticism and a poetry of detail.

Nvubu's work includes paintings, installations and an array of boards and canvasses, drawings, watercolours, collage and altered photographs. The physical elements of his practice symbolically resonate with the range of colour detail, integrating and expanding and regenerating the imagery and techniques he uses to cast light on the importance of scared geometry, spiritual myth and memory.

Sonke Nvubu
"Artivism 2" (indlwebe)

The form is a symbol of geometric shapes turned into human forms, of connection between high and low matter of life forms.

Acrylic and Collage on unstretched canvas
102cm x 72cm
Unframed
R 12 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Propaganda -ganda"

A portrayal moment of destruction that is looking for a resurrection in this country to defeat poverty and inequality.

Acrylic,collage, oil on unstretched canvas
175cm x 44cm
Unframed
R 3 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"The journey of never hope" (Inhlanhlatha)

The journey of an endless trip through life that never ends in pattern.

Acrylic and charcoal on board
84cm x 76cm
Unframed
R 14 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Kissing the Streets" (iNhlwebo)

A woman who lost her child and started living on the streets and kissing strange men ....

Acrylic, ink, oil on canvas
61cm x 46cm
Unframed
R 14 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Man on the edge of poverty"

The face of a man trapped in a dented society looking for redemption and carrying so much on his shoulders, because his children are very hungry.

Acrylic and mixed media on board
72cm x 36cm
Unframed
R 7 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"The Face of Highman" (uMsipha)

The story of man caught up in a thinking process of mankind. A distinguished observation of all elements in one.

Acrylic on Board
80cm x 40cm
Unframed
R 3 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"The lost wealth of Alkebulan"(iHlelonze)

The story of a man in gold trying to find his stolen wealth.

Acrylic, ink, oil on canvas
61cm x 46cm
Unframed
R 10 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Travelling to Uganda"(uHambo)

An epic colourful story of kids in Wakiso in Uganda. Dedicated to the orphans.

Acrylic on board
124cm x 118cm
Unframed
R 19 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"The unseen Frei" (iHlaya)

A detected feature of Vera the ghost in the midst of the night...an old grizzly story.

Acrylic on board
40cm x 43cm
Unframed
R 6 666
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Sonke Nvubu
"The Half Man" (imvezo)

An abstract story of a man finding means to protect the polluted earth yet trapped in the negative field of destruction.

Acrylic and collage on board
49cm x 39cm
Unframed
R 10 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"The Illuminated Painted" (uMzumbe)

The story of centuries and life's sacrifices by great artists forming rituals and illuminated designs to keep mankind within moral codes.

Acrylic and collage on board
60cm x 25cm
Unframed
R 2 500
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Sonke Nvubu
"The Unseen Gestures" (Indawe'nhle)

An abstract creative story of wanderlust between the two different races of humanity into one big ambiguous colour, form, texture.

Acrylic on canvas
40cm x 40cm
Unframed
R 1 600
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Sonke Nvubu
"Map of Mapungubwe"

The calculated chaos showing a dented character in abstract format as a story of a map lost in time.

Acrylic and oil on board
40cm x 40cm
Unframed
R 7 500
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Sonke Nvubu
"The Face of Revolution Never Seen" (Insezo)

The story of Revolution when Pan African congress was banned from the society, the angry face turned into an unforgettable future. Commemorating Dr Robert Sobukwe.

Acrylic and mixed media on board
36cm x 36cm
Unframed
R 9 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Man on the edge of poverty 2"

A colourful story of the unseen forge of a thinker in Soweto '76, while fires are burning, and the system is revolting and here lies a thinker.

Acrylic and mixed media on board
44cm x 40cm
Unframed
R 7 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Artivism" (isishoshozi)

An abstract form background and tale of an expression through detail, format and language versions of old tribal tales ...

Acrylic and oil on board
44cm x 40cm
Unframed
R 8 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"Jozi on Loadshedding"

The painting shows the dark and light of the town buildings caught up in a loadshedding stage our story of today...

Acrylic and ink on board
40cm x 40cm
Unframed
R 8 000
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Sonke Nvubu
"The Township Economy" (ezohwebo)

The everyday market and street buzz of Soweto life and its formal gangster pricing...

Acrylic and collage on board
54cm x 38cm
Unframed
R 3 000
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All the artworks are for sale.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the works, please email us at artlovers1932@gmail.com
or click for purchase enquiry below any specific artwork