No More Keeping my Feet on the Ground

Artist Mustafa Maluka South African, born 1976, lives in Finland, Germany, and United States

Date2007

MediumOil and acrylic on canvas

Dimensions72 x 52 3/8 in. (182.9 x 133 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the North Carolina State Art Society (Robert F. Phifer Bequest)

Object number2008.9

On View

Not on view

Label TextWhereas portraits have historically been reserved for elites, heroic figures, and notables, Maluka depicts people unknown even to himself. He refers to them as “invented heroes,” honoring them as equally worthy of artists’ attention. The work’s title reveals nothing of the individual’s identity, instead pointing to his confidence and aspirations; this invented hero is a role model for all.

The bright palette and juxtaposition of graphic elements recall hip hop, graffiti, and other dynamic traditions, further distinguishing Maluka’s work from traditional portraiture. Having experienced life in foreign places himself, the artist is sensitive to minorities and how they are perceived by societies taking them in. How are they viewed? How do they view others? What happens in that space between?
["Portraits and Power," 2024]ProvenanceCreated 2007; collection of the artist; [Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa]; sold to NCMA, 2008.
Published ReferencesSummer 2007/8 (exhibition catalogue) (Cape Town, South Africa: Michael Stevenson Gallery, 2007), cat. no. 32.
Exhibition HistoryCape Town, South Africa, Michael Stevenson Gallery, "Summer 2007/8," November 28, 2007-January 12, 2008.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection Reimagined," June 17, 2024-April 7, 2025.
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