Estevão Mucavele, 1941

In 1957, Estevão Mucavele — the son of peasants — left Mozambique for the mines of South Africa in search of a better life. He was sixteen years old and had completed the 3rd grade at a Catholic mission school.

A year later, in 1958, he left the mines and found work as a cleaner in a Johannesburg art gallery. In 1966, he moved to Cape Town, where he worked as a janitor — a job that left him with ample free time. Mucavele decided to use this time creatively and began painting. Two years later, he held his first solo exhibition in Cape Town.

In 1971, Mucavele participated in a group exhibition. Encouraged by its positive reception, he decided to dedicate himself fully to painting.

In 1976, one year after Mozambique’s independence, Mucavele returned to his home country. He collaborated with other artists on the mural in Heroes Square and took part in a traveling group exhibition that toured Angola, East Germany, and the USSR.

Mucavele’s paintings often depict landscapes — those he saw in South Africa, the mines, the sea, and his “imaginary landscapes.”

In the words of Malangatana, Mucavele’s art is “uncompromised.”

source: “EXPO 92 – 9 Artistas de Moçambique”