Goodman Gallery is proud to present Urban Entanglements: How Art Reflects Citymaking, spotlighting influential 20th-century masters from the African continent—the late David Koloane (1938–2019), Kagiso ‘Pat’ Mautloa, and Sam Nhlengethwa—whose artistic legacies remain impactful in the 21st century. The exhibition features a dynamic selection of paintings, drawings, and charcoal works on paper, created during and after the final years of apartheid in South Africa, spanning from the 1980s to the 2020s. These works reflect the shifting socio-political landscape, capturing the complexities of urban life in a city shaped by segregation and its aftermath.

These pivotal figures shaped South Africa’s artistic landscape, offering a powerful lens through which to explore the evolution of Johannesburg. Their work reflects how art can document, challenge, and reshape perceptions of place and identity, particularly within a city shaped by the legacy of colonial and apartheid spatial planning. Koloane, Mautloa, and Nhlengethwa’s careers are deeply intertwined with Johannesburg’s vibrant and complex landscape. Crossing paths from the 1970s onward, each artist developed a distinctive practice—across collage, painting, and printmaking—that reflects personal and collective experiences within this evolving urban environment.

Koloane’s charcoal drawings and mixed media works capture Johannesburg’s restless rhythm through expressive, gestural marks. His artworks convey the lived experiences of the city’s Black residents—navigating systemic oppression while forging their own paths to endure and thrive. Through his distinctive approach to African expressionism, Koloane transforms movement and tension into a visual dance of survival and creativity.