Daniel “Stompie” Selibe

Daniel “Stompie” Selibe is an expressionist painter who amalgamates his musical and visual talent. He describes his work as “a dialogue between the image making process, the visual representation itself and the transformation and expression of that into vibrations and sound shared with others. It explores the continuity of the creative process.”

Daniel "Stompie" Selibe (b. 1974) was born in Soweto and trained in art therapy at The Art Therapy Centre in Johannesburg in 2001. His training has given him the tools to work with different people who have experienced many things ranging from abuse, rape and living with HIV. He also uses his skills to work with teenagers, sharing his passion and talents for the arts. When asked about the effect that his work has had on the groups he has worked with, Selibe says, “You don’t want to change people; you facilitate and understand where they are, and you meet them [there]. It’s important not to give advice, not interrupt, or to try and fix it. You must allow someone to express themselves.” Selibe improvises freely fluctuating between audio and visual elements to produce rhythmic outbursts of color onto the canvas, wood, and other substrates. Combinations of collage, abstract mark-making, and delicately placed textures typify his paintings. It is a creative process where he purposefully deconstructs and reconstructs existing content to formulate a fresh perspective. Stompie is a proponent of embracing new outcomes derived from old patterns with celebrated success. He uses his influence and improvised paintings to shift communities and shape the world. Selibe’s artworks are widely exhibited and appear in many prominent collections. Selibe was involved in creating monotypes at David Krut Workshop (DKW) in July and August 2010 and was one of the six artists participating in the DKW Monotype Project exhibition in October 2010.