Artistic Tributes to Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was one of the most influential figures of our time. His peaceful and nonviolent defiance against the South African government during times of racist policies exhibited behavior that was inspiring to the world. Becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994 and destroying the apartheid system within the country were great feats within World History. In light of Mandela’s passing, many artistic tributes (some made before and after) have been revealed to commemorate the life of a man who taught the world the true meaning of global peace.

This piece was made by sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik at the Golden Sea Beach in Puri. This tribute stood out to me because of its utilization of sand, and the way the artist shaped Mandela’s face into the flag of South Africa. The attention to detail is remarkable, and the feeling of joy one gets from Mandela’s smiling face amidst the bright colors of his country’s flag, is immediately felt.

Phil Akashi paid tribute to Mandela in his own unique way, taking 27,000 punches with the chinese letters for freedom, Akashi painted a monument to pay tribute to the great leader. Akashi told Designboom.com that “[Mandela] sacrificed his own freedom to fight for the freedom of others and therefore represents a fantastic source of inspiration for the entire world.”

Social media was a frenzy sharing thoughts after Mandela’s death and photographer Miguel Rios made a visualization of some of the tweets sent out in regards to Mandela. The media is such an influential aspect of the youth today, and I thought it was very interesting to merge the voices, opinions, and thoughts from today’s society into a piece of an influential leader within history.

This is a mural painting of Nelson Mandela that can be found in Cape Town. The overlapping blues of the sky, the building, and the head of Mandela flow into each other, depicting Mandela in a way that almost makes him a part of the sky and a part of the atmosphere that will forever surround South Africa.

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.        

                  -Nelson Mandela