LIS10 Gallery is pleased to present Abela, a solo exhibition by South African artist Esther Mahlangu, one of the most authoritative voices in contemporary African art.

The title Abela, which in the Ndebele language evokes the ideas of “sharing” and “transmission,” introduces the core of the artist’s practice: a visual language deeply rooted in tradition while continuously evolving in dialogue with the present. Mahlangu is internationally renowned for translating the decorative motifs of Ndebele culture—historically associated with mural painting—into a contemporary context, preserving their symbolic and cultural significance.

Through precise geometric compositions and a vibrant color palette, the artist transforms ancestral knowledge into a universal visual language, building a bridge between memory and contemporaneity, between communal practice and exhibition space.