What Goes Into Your CV As An Artist; Esther Mahlangu at Serpentine; Jadé Fadojutimi named in 2024 TIME100 Next list
Artists are often required to submit CVs for gallery representation, exhibition proposals, and grant, residency, or prize applications. Just as a regular CV is a living document that highlights skills, work experience, and other professional accomplishments, an artist’s CV should highlight artistic skills, previous exhibitions, and career achievements.
We have highlighted what goes into your CV as an artist in this article.
Serpentine Unveils New Mural by Esther Mahlangu
South-African artist Esther Mahlangu will have her first public artwork in the UK displayed at the Serpentine North Garden. The new site-specific mural will be on view from the 4th of October to the 28th of September, 2025.
Painted over sixteen wooden panels, Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which translates directly from Ndebele as ‘I am because you are’ depicts Ndebele shapes and patterns outlined with a black border. The monumental painting will celebrate concepts of community and unity.
The Ndebele-born artist is known for her brightly coloured geometric paintings rooted in matrilineal Ndebele culture. Mahlangu paints using natural pigments mixed with clay, soil and cow dung. Rather than using stencils and tape to achieve lines and shapes, she paints by hand with chicken feathers and an array of different brushes. The artist also works with acrylic paints on canvas, which allows her to explore different scales and a broader colour palette.
Jadé Fadojutimi named in 2024 TIME100 Next list
TIME recently unveiled its 2024 TIME100 Next list. The TIME100 Next list, now in its fifth year, was created to recognize up-and-coming leaders in business, sports, health, and the arts.
London-based painter of Nigerian descent, Jadé Fadojutimi has been recognised by TIME as an artist on the rise. Known for her monumental pieces that are characterised by striking colours, Fadojutimi’s canvases are inspired by both Impressionism and Japanese animation. “I call myself a composer of colour because my dream is to perform painting with a live orchestra,” she says. “I believe I’m more than just a painter.”
This year, her 2021 painting The Woven Warped Garden of Ponder set a new auction record for the third time in five months when it sold for $2 million.
Artist Spotlight: Ojooluwatide Ojo
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ojooluwatide Ojo's practice developed out of experimental photography, which she interprets as paintings. Employing a blend of acrylic, thread, and photographic elements, she creates new narratives that merge past and current realities, while offering viewers a window into the complexities of societal dynamics.
Ojo explores themes of societal empathy and spiritual expression within intimate experiences, while incorporating threads to establish tangible connections to the histories she references. Her ongoing series, ‘The Home We Grew Up In’, represents and amplifies the intricacy of our societal existence, through an in-depth look on family, politics, fashion and tradition in Nigeria.
On view:
Sambadio: Efie Gallery announces its representation of the pioneering Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté with a solo exhibition. (October 10, 2024 – January 6, 2025).
Bedimmed Boundaries: Between Wakefulness and Sleep: Nicola Vassell presents a new series of paintings and video installation by Wangari Mathenge in which she observes her own sleeping body.
Places We Call Home: A group exhibition featuring works from David Otaru, Korede Aremo, Raji Babatunde, Praise Sanni, Heph Design and Moyosola Jolaolu, with a performance from Azümi at Untitled, Lagos.
