Selby Mvusi

Selby Mvusi Synopsis

Selby Mvusi: To Fly with the North Bird South is a thorough, insightful account of the life and work of Selby Mvusi; an inimitable painter, sculptor, printmaker, poet and academic. Elza Miles, renowned art historian, weaves this unique story with understanding, intelligence and a distinctively delicate touch. Industrial Designers will find in the book a rich reference source, as Mvusi’s lecture notes are included on the accompanying CD. Mvusi, a visionary ahead of his time, was little known in South Africa and spent much of his short life on foreign shores. In this narrative, Miles shows us Selby’s multiple gifts as a fine artist, poet, industrial design lecturer and a true African philosopher. The brilliance of Mvusi lies in his constant interweaving of disciplines: lines from his poems recur in other writings as sentences from lectures reappear in consecutive essays. His art and writing simulates the cycles and changes in nature. His thinking is free of categorising. In this way, Mvusi captures “the essence of being human”. This remarkable work is an invaluable contribution to the history of South African art, thought and creativity.

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