Colbert Mashile is a painter and visual artist who has developed a unique iconographical language within South African art, often dealing with the mystical, mythological and archaic elements of traditional African culture and its legacy in today’s world. Rich in symbolism, Mashile incorporates neoclassical themes in his work and juxtaposes these with deceptively familiar objects from the artist’s everyday life. These are carefully chosen and charged with meaning, giving equal materiality to both western and African aesthetics. In so doing, Mashile creates contemporary vanitas drawings which give voice to his own story, perspective and place in the world.