Eighteen months ago the work of South African artist, Nelson Makamo, featured on the iconic cover of Time magazine. It placed the already popular artist - with fans like Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay and Giorgio Armani – firmly onto the global stage.
The painting Makamo created for the cover was of Mapule, his now 12 year old cousin, who he’s been painting ever since she was a child. In a touching and practical exchange, he pays for Mapule’s studies.
As he prepares for an exhibition, In the Studio’s Mpho Lakaje meets Nelson at his studio in Johannesburg, to watch him at work and discover why he so often places children from rural South Africa centre stage.
