While he has made his name on the decks, Zibanani Madumo says painting is less a newly discovered pursuit than a return to something that has always been part of him. After two decades away from the easel, the media personality, musician and entrepreneur is preparing to unveil a body of work that offers a glimpse into a less familiar side of his creative life.
Madumo’s first solo exhibition, The Zibanani Art Experience, will take place on November 21 at Jules Delight Nursery & Tea Garden in Gaborone. It marks the public return of an artist whose relationship with the canvas began long before he became a familiar face and voice in the local entertainment industry.
He was 11 when he first took up painting. Entirely self-taught, Madumo spent much of his youth in Selibe Phikwe developing his craft, producing commissioned work for major corporations and eventually making a living from his artistic ability. Painting was not simply an occasional indulgence but a profession in its own right.
Then came a 20-year interruption. His career flourished elsewhere, but the absence of painting left something unfinished. Now back at the easel, Madumo, popularly known as Oneal, appears to have recovered not only his appetite for the work but also the discipline that sustained him as a young artist.
For Madumo, the canvas appears to offer a space in which experiences that are difficult to articulate elsewhere can find expression. Curated by OnealAfrica, The Zibanani Art Experience is conceived as more than a conventional exhibition.
For several months, he has been spending at least five hours a day painting. He was surprised to discover how much of his technical ability had survived the long absence, as though the years away had done little to disturb the instincts he had acquired in childhood.
The return, however, comes at a difficult moment in his personal life. His late father was among the strongest supporters of his artistic ambitions, while the recent death of his mother has brought a different emotional weight to the preparation of his debut exhibition.
Asked how he has managed to continue working through a period of mourning, Madumo offered a reflection on the peculiar relationship between grief and the creative process. “I am at a point in my life where I can paint through anything. This loss is heavy, but I have realised I have very little control over that paintbrush once it is in my hand,” he said.
There is something fitting about an exhibition shaped by such personal circumstances.
For Madumo, the canvas appears to offer a space in which experiences that are difficult to articulate elsewhere can find expression. Curated by OnealAfrica, The Zibanani Art Experience is conceived as more than a conventional exhibition.
Alongside the paintings, visitors will be treated to a practical art masterclass, live music, food, wine and fashion, bringing together several of the disciplines that have defined Madumo’s public life.
The Zibanani Art Experience will take place on November 21, 2026 at Jules Delight Nursery & Tea Garden, Tlokweng from 12pm until late.
Tickets: P450 (includes a welcome drink and meal). Bookings and enquiries: (+267) 7165 5223.
