Serpentine North, Large-Scale Mural

In Autumn 2024, Serpentine unveiled a new site-specific mural by Dr Esther Mahlangu — her first public artwork in the United Kingdom. The project was made possible with support from BMW, The Melrose Gallery, The Milstein Family and The Edward Lawrence Milstein Foundation.

On view in the garden at Serpentine North from 4 October 2024 to 28 September 2025, the monumental painting celebrates concepts of community and unity. Its title, Umuntu ngumuntu ngabuntu — which translates from Ndebele as 'I am because you are' — marks her first public artwork in the UK and a moment of great pride for South Africa and the African continent at large.

Celebrated for her brightly coloured geometric paintings rooted in matrilineal Ndebele culture, Dr Mahlangu (b. 1935, South Africa) has been creating large-scale and site-specific works for almost eight decades. She began painting at the age of ten, learning the traditional Ndebele techniques and visual language of covering houses in bold patterns from her mother and grandmother.

Dr Mahlangu uses natural pigments mixed with clay, soil and cow dung to paint directly on the exterior structures in her village. Rather than using stencils and tape to achieve lines and shapes, she paints with chicken feathers and an array of different brushes. The artist also works with acrylic paint on canvas, which allows her to explore different scales and a broader colour palette.

Umuntu ngumuntu ngabuntu, presented in the garden at Serpentine North, is the artist's first public mural in the UK. Painted over sixteen wooden panels, the work depicts Ndebele shapes and patterns outlined with a black border.

A Dream Realised

Bettina Korek, CEO, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine, say: "Esther Mahlangu is one of the most important artists of our time who continues to inspire emerging talents. We met for the first time in 1989 at the 'Magiciens de la Terre' exhibition and, today, the dream of a Serpentine Mural has come true. Mahlangu is a polymath who brings art into society. This new vibrant work resonates with Zaha Hadid's spectacular architecture and follows presentations of public artworks which include Gerhard Richter, Yayoi Kusama and Atta Kwami."

Dr Mahlangu said: "I am proud to present this monumental outdoor work at Serpentine in London. The title 'Umuntu ngumuntu ngabuntu' means 'I am because you are'. It is my wish that this painting brings much joy to those who see it in celebration and recognition of the interconnectedness that exists between our two nations and indeed all loving beings."

The mural was accompanied by a new book on the artist's life and oeuvre, published by Thames & Hudson.