One of the graduates of the Artists in Action Residency Programme at the BAT Centre, Lungelo Gumede was selected by Ethekwini municipality Speaker Nomusa Dube and John Mchunu, to represent South Africa recently at an international youth conference held in Rome.

While in Rome, Lungelo was spotted by Hoops Foundation, a New York based international youth empowerment organisation, which offered him the opportunity to fly to New York to exhibit his portrait of Dr Nelson Mandela.

Born in Clermont in 1985, Lungelo Gumede completed his matric in 2002 at Mabayana High School in a rural district of Ndwedwe in northern KwaZulu-Natal and is now busy with his first year of Fine Arts at Durban Institute of Technology. After graduating at the Artists in Action Residency Programme at the BAT Centre, Lungelo had his first debut solo exhibition in February this year at Home in Morningside. This was followed by another exhibition at the BAT Centre’s Democratic Gallery.

Lungelo briefly describes his art as "all about self-impression" because he believes his paintings tells his stories. He has also studied drawing and printmaking but is currently concentrating on doing work which celebrates ten years of South African democracy. He is recognised for his bold, bright and individualistic approach to portraits. He has also been commissioned to produce portraits for President Thabo Mbeki and His Worship Mayor of Durban, Obed Mlaba.