David Koloane was born on June 5th,1938, in the township of Alexandra, a suburb of Johannesburg in South Africa. His passion for arts began developing early during his high school years in Soweto, where he met an artist by the name of Louis Maqhubela. Louis gave Koloane his first art lessons, sparking his initial interest in the field. Around this time Koloane's father suffered from a stroke, and was left unable to work. As a direct result, Koloane dropped out of high school to support his family. From then on, Koloane spent his leisure time creating art, as a hobby. These events establish the beginning of David Koloane's visual arts career, which spanned over 60 years. Between the years 1974-1977, Koloane attended art classes at the Bill Ainslie Studios, which later became the Johannesburg Art Foundation. In 1977, Koloane was one of the founding members of the first black gallery in South Africa, located in Johannesburg. His ever-increasing dedication to art led him to start teaching part-time at a high school in a township, which eventually transitioned to full-time teaching. In the following years, Koloane remained active and committed to his craft. In 1982, he co-curated the Culture and Resistance Arts Festival in
Botswana. Koloane studied at the
University of London from 1984 to 1985 and earned a diploma in
museology. From 1986 through 1988, he served as the first curator for the Federated Union of Black Artists (FUBA) Art Gallery in Johannesburg. In 1998, the government of The Netherlands honored David with The Prince Claus Fund Award for his devotion to aiding the development of South African visual arts. Shortly after these events, he co-ordinated and co-curated the Zabalaza Festivals in London, England in 1990. Koloane also created an artist residency called Bag Factory with collector
Robert Loder in an area not strictly black or white during
Apartheid segregation in 1991. Artists Sam Nhlengethwa and
Kagiso Patrick Mautloa were the first resident artists and it went on to host
William Kentridge,
Helen Sebidi,
Penny Siopis,
Wayne Barker, Benon Lutaaya and
Deborah Bell among many. He participated in the 1989 Pachipamwe II Workshop held at Cyrene Mission outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe alongside prominent artists including
Joram Mariga,
Bernard Matemera, Bill Ainslie, Voti Thebe,
Sokari Douglas Camp and
Adam Madebe. David Koloane's works are part of many collections worldwide, including the collections of the
Johannesburg Art Gallery,
The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) of
Jean Pigozzi, the
South African National Gallery in
Cape Town and the
Botswana National Museum. The David Koloane Award was established in 2010 to celebrate the life and career of Dr. David Koloane as the respected artist, curator, writer, and founding member of the Bag Factory Artists' Studios. The award honors Dr. Koloane's contributions to the arts industry and supports emerging artists who share his passion and dedication. Recipients of the award are offered a three-month residency at the Bag Factory Artists' Studios, which includes a studio space, a materials stipend, mentorship from the Bag Factory and established artists, and culminates in a solo exhibition of a new body of work in the Bag Factory gallery. This award has provided valuable opportunities for artists to develop their skills and showcase their work, and has paved the way for numerous artists over the last few years. == Work philosophy ==