(Leif) Lunjo Kngale (1951-2012) began painting late in life, beginning in 2005 and continued until his death in 2012. His vibrant, confident paintings feature recurring motifs and linework that communicate incredible energy and maturity for an artist who painted for only a few years of his short life.  

Brother to Angelina Pwerle (Ngale), Lunjo Kngale was in many ways an outsider. He mostly kept to himself on the outskirts of his community and communicated with his own unique sign language (particularly well with his nephew, the late Harry Dixon Mptyane) as well as through visual prompts drawn into the earth.

The influence of fellow Utopia artists that Lunjo had seen during the previous decades can be seen in his very first paintings (completed in 2005), though he took very little time to develop his own visual language and once found, he was remarkably consistent. 

Lunjo Kngale painted without exterior influence and did so at his own pace, producing truly individual and engaging artworks. At times his compositions teem with energy, but these sustaining works also have a grounding and spiritual effect, both diminishing and expanding our viewpoint. In his life, Lunjo showed great care for his country and the creatures within it. His paintings reflect this, communicating his relationship with the earth through mark making on canvas.