MOSSEL BAY NEWS - In celebration of Mandela Day, internationally recognised digital artist Michelle Benjamin had a solo exhibition at the Bartholomeu Dias Museum in Mossel Bay.

This exhibition, according to Benjamin, was a first of its kind for the Western Cape.

Benjamin, also an entrepreneur and humanitarian, has combined art with technology for three decades.

With exhibitions in Pretoria, Durban, New York, Dallas, Houston, London, Nice and Naples under her belt, this solo exhibition of her work on Nelson Mandela is groundbreaking, unique and never experienced before on South African soil by a former Durbanite and woman of Indian ethnicity.

"My intention with my work as an artist is to break stereotypes, whenever I experience them. This opportunity at the Bartholomeus Dias Museum is excellent to show my art on such a historical day in South Africa.

"To remember our dear Madiba in this way warms my heart and gives me hope for our nation and the entire world. The pupose of my life as an art humanitarian and activist is to bring hope where there is none. This was Madiba's goal for South Africa."

At the exhibition, a meal was prepared and served to vulnerable members of the community. Senior citizens, who served their communities well and are in their golden years, were treated at the museum on Mandela Day as part of the programme.

"It was a privilege to give the most unique and amazing exhibition of my life to these humble and disadvantaged folks, who were part of the generation that believed in Madiba's dream for a new South Africa."

When this exhibition comes to an end, Michelle Benjamin's Nelson Mandela Day 2019 artworks will travel to Cape Town to be auctioned by CHOC (Childhood Cancer Foundation) for its cause.

Benjamin exhibits four times a year in New York City. Her exhibitions are curated by New York's celebrated curator, Susannah Perlman, who runs one of the most prestigious digital art galleries in the United States.

One of Michelle Benjamin's artworks of Madiba, exhibited on Mandela Day at the Bartholomeu Dias Museum.

Michelle Benjamin (centre) at a recent exhibition she hosted for upcoming artists in Mossel Bay. With her are Lana Laubscher and Trey Smith, from George and Mossel Bay respectively.

'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'