Gqeberha-based South African visual artist Banele Njadayi presents MAYIYE, his first solo exhibition, reflecting on memory, movement, identity and the enduring resilience of Black life, at Art on Target Gallery in Gqeberha from 28 August to 28 September 2026.
The exhibition will feature a new body of paintings, charcoal drawings and mixed-media works.
MAYIYE, meaning “let it go,” “let it move,” or “let it flow forward”, reflects on emotional, spiritual, and physical journeys, acknowledging the mothers, ancestors, workers, and communities whose strength continues to shape contemporary Black life. Through expressive mixed-media works, the exhibition considers themes of migration, labour, motherhood, hope, transition, and healing, inviting audiences into a space of reflection, release, and transformation.
“MAYIYE is an offering to those whose quiet strength often goes unseen. It honours the people who carry families, communities, and histories forward, while asking what it means to move beyond inherited burdens without forgetting those who made our paths possible,” says Njadayi.
Born in Makhanda and based in Gqeberha, Njadayi’s artistic practice examines the intersections of origin, identity formation, care, resilience, and lived experience. Working across oil paint, acrylic, charcoal, collage, found materials, and textured surfaces, he creates layered works that serve as visual archives of personal and collective histories.
Art on Target director Bretten-Anne Moolman said it was a privilege for the gallery to be hosting the first solo exhibition by an artist she has been mentoring and watching with keen interest since his student days.
“Banele has an incredible mastery of diverse techniques and materials, but more important is his ability to use these to speak in a unique and exciting voice as a visual artist telling stories of lived experience while also contributing to contemporary conversations within South African art.
“Hosting his inaugural solo exhibition demonstrates the Art on Target gallery’s role in showcasing rising, exciting artistic voices from Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape, providing a platform for young artists to reach an audience of discerning art lovers and buyers, as a natural extension of our work in visual arts education and artist development,” Moolman said.
Njadayi’s work draws on the legaciesof South African masters Gerard Sekoto, George Pemba and Sam Nhlengethwa, whose portrayals of township life elevated everyday experiences into powerful narratives of survival, dignity, and humanity, while he brings a contemporary, globally-influenced approach to his work. Njadayi is also responsible for the recent series of eye-catching, black-and-white murals commissioned by the Mandela Bay Development Agency, depicting icons of South African cultural and political life connected to Nelson Mandela Bay on the freeway pillars along Steve Biko Street (formerly Strand Street) in Gqeberha.
With MAYIYE, Njadayi invites viewers not simply to observe, but to engage deeply with questions of memory, healing, and collective responsibility. The exhibition challenges audiences to confront the emotional realities embedded within Black bodies, histories, and lived experiences, encouraging reflection that extends beyond the gallery space.
The opening event is on Friday, 28 August, at 18:00 at the Art on Target Gallery at 2 Target Kloof, Essexvale, Gqeberha, and runs until 28 September. The gallery is open from 09:00-16:00 Monday to Friday, and 09:00-13:00 on Saturdays.
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