Miniatures: Ngoni explores small gems
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday October 27, 2025 06:00
Ngoni has returned to the Alliance Française gallery with an exhibition titled Miniatures, which officially opened on October 21 and closes on November 11, 2025. Miniature art includes very small paintings, engravings, and sculptures. It is characterised by intricate and detailed paintings that are typically small in size, ranging from a few inches to a few feet. The art form is known for its vibrant colours, delicate brushwork, and intricate details, which are often used to depict scenes from mythology, literature, and everyday life. And that’s exactly what Ngoni’s displayed art pieces are all about: small, colourful, with elaborate details reflecting cultural significance and artistic mastery. Known for painting on large canvases, this time around, Ngoni explores an intimate platform. “Miniatures are a collection of tiny paintings. It is an experiment of how small I can go from very large canvases. It is also meant for smaller spaces, which I have been ignoring all these years, with ambitions to be present on large walls. This time, I wish to be there in smaller spaces, intimate and colourful,” he explained.
Despite going small, Ngoni does not necessarily deviate from his signature touch. He maintains his striking human figures with special focus on faces and emotions. As usual, he lets his creativity fly with his art pieces, exploring colour and light. Ngoni is described as a renowned and provocative artist who uses oil paint to portray human experience. He is known for his honest and sometimes unflinching portrayal of people. Ngoni said he will showcase over 41 paintings during the stretch of the exhibition, also tapping from his other series search as Magotsetso to augment the current exhibition.
He said some about 60 percent of his art pieces are still in the studio, awaiting final touches. Ngoni also hinted at quitting his current style to adopt a new one. “These are the last brush strokes of this type of painting. You grow both in intent, perspective...my next work will be very different from what we have been seeing. I have painted faces for a long time, and we get inspired. We are planning an exhibition of Auto portraits,” he explained.