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Pitika Ntuli

Biography

Pitika Ntuli, born in 1942, is a prominent South African sculptor, poet, writer, and academic who endured 32 years of exile in Swaziland and the UK. Raised in Witbank, Mpumalanga, he became actively involved in the anti-apartheid struggle, which led to his exile. He resided in Swaziland from 1963, where he was eventually arrested and imprisoned as a political detainee. International pressure secured his release in 1978, allowing him to relocate to the UK for further studies. Ntuli pursued an MFA and an MA in Comparative Industrial Relations and Industrial Sociology at the Pratt Institute in New York City. Following his studies, he embarked on an academic career, teaching at esteemed institutions like Camberwell College of Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and others in the UK. He returned to South Africa in 1994, where he began teaching Fine Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His sculptural works have been featured in exhibitions across Europe and the US, and he has organized various international art and cultural events in Britain. His sculptures grace private collections worldwide, including those of notable individuals like Paul Simon and Phuthuma Nhleko. Public installations of his work can be found in locations such as the Swaziland National Bank, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lobamba, and COSATU House in Johannesburg. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until 2010, more than a decade after his return from exile, that Ntuli held his first exhibition in South Africa at Museum Africa in Johannesburg. The exhibition was accompanied by the publication “The Scent of Invisible Footprints: the Sculpture of Pitika Ntuli” by the University of South Africa (UNISA). He has since exhibited in various locations in South Africa, contributing significantly to the country’s art scene. Beyond his artistic pursuits, Ntuli is an authority on African indigenous knowledge systems and is a regular commentator on political and cultural matters in various media outlets. He has been involved in significant cultural initiatives, including advising the Minister of Arts and Culture on programs associated with the World Cup. Ntuli’s multifaceted contributions have made him a respected figure in both the artistic and cultural spheres of South Africa.

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In 2013, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Visual Art from the Arts and Culture Trust and Vodacom Foundation. In 2020, his exhibition Azibuyele Emasisweni, comprised works sculpted solely from bone, presented online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition won a Global Fine Art people’s choice award, and was subsequently shown at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum in 2022 and the Durban Art Gallery in March 2023

Talent

Pitika Ntuli

Biography

News / Ranking / Titbits / Awards

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