Nelson Mandela Portrait, 14 x 14', 2013
Paul Blomkamp

Johannesburg – Nelson Mandela is lilac, pulsing-pink, blue, and sandy tan.  He is a collection of energy, a precise assembly of meticulously measured stripes.

This describes the gigantic portrait, 14 feet high, honoring “Tata,” or father, the term of endearment many South Africans use for Nelson Mandela.

Painted by South African artist Paul Blomkamp, this portrait deals with the anatomy of energy – a celebration of energized lines, shapes and spaces.

“For Tata’s portrait I turned to physics books to understand the interactions of the thousands of atoms that make up an individual,” Blomkamp says. “Each human being is made up of about 67 trillion unique shooting bits of energy.  In this dance of energy is intelligence, compassion and love.”

Thousands of vivid stripes suggest these shooting tracks of energy and the qualities the world celebrates in Nelson Mandela.

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