https://www.artimpactinternational.org/against-all-odds
“Against All Odds!” International Art Exhibition runs from February 3 – April 30, 2024. Art for Black History Month and beyond. This video inspires people of all cultures to support the arts. We celebrate the determined spirits who rose above hatred and discrimination to pave the way for future generations. This is an opportunity for us all to honor strength within Black people who against all odds found a way to enhance humanity.
“Against All Odds!” has the purpose of educating and inspiring people. It celebrates Black invention, creativity, and the rich wellspring of African American culture. It honors the determined spirits who rose above hatred and discrimination to pave the way for future generations.
Throughout history, African Americans (and all the diaspora*) have faced immense adversity and obstacles due to racism, discrimination, and oppressive systems designed to limit their potential. Despite this, Black people have made remarkable achievements and contributions in every field – from science and technology, to arts and culture, to business, politics and more.
Ntsiki Mputamputa is a Black South African Contemporary female Artist. She was brought up in the matriarchal rural community of St Faiths, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Raised by a resilient grandmother and 4 aunts during her early years. Her art reflects the profound influence of these strong female figures and what they had to endure in a rural setting where drinking and washing up water was fetched from the river and wood from the forest to make meals. This theme persists when reunited with her equally ambitious mother and supportive father, shaping the strong female-centric subject matter that defines her work.
Having earned recognition in early years for her artistic gift when she won 1st prize in an Art competition among 200 high schools, she decided to pursue a degree in Visual Arts. For many years Ntsiki worked as an Art Director. having also earned an Art Direction Diploma from the AAA School of Advertising and a Master’s Degree from the University of South Africa. It was only in her latest 40’s that Ntsiki left the confines of nine to give jobs to pursue her calling as an artist.
Ntsiki Mputamputa’s work is deeply rooted in her upbringing in the matriarchal rural community of St Faiths, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Raised by a resilient grandmother and 4 aunts during her early years, her art reflects the profound influence of these strong female figures and what they had to endure in a rural setting where drinking and washing up water was fetched from the river and wood from the forest to make meals. This theme persists when reunited with her equally ambitious mother and supportive father, shaping the strong female-centric subject matter that defines her work.
Breaking away from traditional art-making, Ntsiki incorporates elements like fabric and clay into her creations, with African Goddess-like figures taking center stage. Ntsiki does not confine her work to a single identity but she celebrates the diversity and power of femininity by blending African and Western aesthetic, portraying a cross-cultural representation of womanhood.
Through these contemporary icon paintings, Ntsiki Mputamputa invites viewers to appreciate the diversity of femininity across cultures, transcending, embracing the universal essence of womanhood.
Against All Odds! Exhibiting Artists:
Clement Bryant,
E.L. Whitley,
Edgar “Ed” Redmond,
Hubert Jackson,
Hubert “Hubie” Scemama,
Indra Persad Milowe,
Janie McGee,
Jerome Smith,
John Mark Rainey,
John R. Anderson,
Katherine E. Roundtree,
Leon J. Sheffey,
Lorraine Harris,
Maria Ortiz-Haynes,
Nikco X,
O Yemi Tubi (MOYAT),
Ntsiki Mputamputa,
Patricia A. Smith,
Prelli Anthony Williams,
Ronald Godley,
Shantelle LaTice Fuller,
Stephen Perrone,
Steven Paul Lester,
Timothy Myers,
Wendy Kraft,
Wm (Bill) Jones
Xavier Thomas
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