Owen Ndou

Biography

Born in 1964 at Gwamasenga, Venda, Owen Ndou now lives in Hamutsha. Owen’s love of sculpting started at a very young age, however it was after school, in 1984, that he started carving full time. For many years Owen and his brother Goldwin, worked together on pieces.
Owen deeply explores the significance of biblical themes throughout his work. Other works deal with documenting history and every-day life, especially traditional life. The colours that he paints his works in are of symbolic meaning to his work.

Collections
University of the Free State
University of Natal
Rotterdam, Holland
National Gallery, Cape Town
Johannesburg Art Gallery
Sandton Convention Centre
Private Collections: National and International

OWEN NDOU
By Stephanie Donau

The first time I met Owen Ndou was at an artists meeting, when Neill van Kraayenburg re-opened Ditike, (The Venda art and craft outlet) as a private venture. Previously, it had been managed by the V.D.C. (Venda Development Corporation), and others who had looked after their own interests and not necessarily those of the artists. It was understandable that there was confusion and uncertainty among those that has assembled in the circle under the trees. Opinions were spoken and voices raised………then a very eloquent gentleman stood up and started addressing the assembly. Everybody was quiet and listened. Afterwards, the tension was defused and the talks continued. The gentleman who got up and spoke was Owen Ndou.

I subsequently met Owen Ndou through seeing his sculptures and through a friendship forged on the common ground of being artists. He is a man of great mental stature (“Ndou” means elephant), and even though Owen is not tall, one looks up to him.
He produces his art with great accuracy, and this confidence is manifest in his works. He is passionate about art and about being an artist: “To be an artist is to be a much respected person”.

Owen views religion in a spiritual way. He doesn’t deny any other religion, but views his affiliation to the Bible as an interpreter of metaphors and messages. In this way, Owen views his responsibility as an artist as a communicator to peoples spiritual nature; through addressing fundamental human principles by exploring themes dealing with religion, culture and mythology.

EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE

The Everard Read Gallery
The Sanderling Gallery
The Hart Gallery (at the University of Bophuthatswana)
The Sally Thomson Gallery
The University of the Free State
The University of Zululand
Gallery 181 – Various Group Exhibitions