Jangano tribute exhibition opens at National Gallery

Simba Jangano passed on in 2006 aged 64.
In a press statement, the NGZ said Jangano “was an unknown artiste whose works were never seen by a curator and never celebrated by the nation. The NGZ took the initiative, as a national institution, to honour him and give a new lease of life to his work which never lived”.
“The Rebirth is not the first tribute show to an artiste by the National Gallery, but joins a list of tribute shows done for Colleen Madamombe and Joram Mariga. Nonetheless, today we celebrate him and his work because he was special although he was never mentioned in the books on art history . . .
“He was a man in touch with reality, a critical thinker who painted history, the present and the future. The use of colour and paint, his articulation in painting was accomplished even though he was a self-taught artiste. Most of his works were from the 1950s to the 60s where he juggled being an artist, a full-time teacher and a family man,” the NGZ said.
NGZ executive director, Doreen Sibanda, described Jangano’s works as a “real revelation, contrary to popular opinion that some artistes were totally dedicated to developing themselves as painters”. Jangano was interested in nudes, abstracts, concepts about love and social commentary.
“Simba Jangano obviously accessed information about international art, hence, the names of his children and the clear influence of artistes like Matisse, Braque and Kandinsky. His work included well deliberated abstract images, delicate portraits, intricate landscapes as well as keenly observed social commentary. We get real feel for the values and concerns in circulation during the 60s from the highly idiosyncratic work created by this important artiste,” Sibanda said of Jangano.
Jangano was born in a family of talented musicians to Reverend Elias Jangano and Esther Jangano nee Dangarembga. He was a younger brother to Green Jangano of the veteran Harare Mambo jazz band whose music included the popular song with the lyrics that read as: “Mbuya Nehanda kufa vachitaura shuwa kuti tinotorasei nyika ino, shoko rimwe ravakatiudza, tora gidi uzvitonge”.
Together with his four brothers, who were also talented musicians, they were likened to the American Jackson 5. Jangano was the owner of the Tornado Band and in his works he would paint his band and about music in the townships as illustrated in his work entitled “The Tornados Band”, which shows his band performing and people dancing to the music.
He is survived by wife, eight sons and daughters, namely; Picasso, Rembrandt, Monalisa, Miocene Madonna, Leonardo, Velasquez, Giovanni and Vincent.