Canvases of a Mubarak Life

M.S. Sallie - Rebellion, Community, Township Art and Heritage in the era of Apartheid. This work is a vibrant fusion of the life and art of a quintessential Johannesburg painter and a classic twentieth-century South African story.

In this book, Bashier Sallie creates an archive of the life of his grandfather, Mogamat Sallie Sallie, the remarkable man who was so influential in his upbringing. M.S. Sallie was a master craftsman, a saddlemaker, a Rakam creator, a fine artist and a leader of his community. His story of a life spent in

Fietas, Sophiatown, Albertville, Kliptown, Newclare and Spitskop Avenue, Bosmont South Africa is the story of many of our elders... In Canvases of a Mubarak Life, Bashier has captured, through text and Mogamat's numerous paintings, a remarkable artist's story, but also the story of a community.

The book is a welcome addition to an extremely limited archive of work by artists of colour who created their artworks under apartheid. This unheralded artist, M.S. Sallie, emanated from and lived amongst the very communities that were so deeply affected by the actions of the repressive regime. This book therefore serves as an important personal archive for the Sallie family, but also as a significant addition to the recovery of that which was lost or refused within the annals of South African art history.