Ayanda Mabula has had his name splashed across news sites these past few weeks, his painting of Zuma and Atul Gupta enjoying some sexy time causing general outrage (HERE).

Of course that’s not the only painting of his that is rather full on – just take a look at some of his other gems HERE.

We’ll stick to the Zuma-Gupta artwork for now though, because it looks like the focus on Jacob’s tongue talents may have overshadowed something else.

Here comes that painting – due warning.

It’s hard not to focus on Atul’s rear end, but according to Koos Kombuis (writing on News24) there’s more to this one than meets the eye:

No-one seems to notice what is going on in the background, the top half of the picture. It is that part of the artwork I find particularly disturbing. It shows an empty airplane cockpit, with the pilots absent. As the airplane is hurtling through the air, another plane is approaching in the distance. The two planes are apparently on a collision course with each other.

There is very clever social commentary in this depicted setting. This is the real message the artists wants to convey. And, if I understand it correctly, it is a very serious, very urgent message.

What Ayanda is in effect saying is this: These guys (Zuma and the Gupta guy) are supposed to be the captain and co-pilot of this plane. It is probably Zuma’s new plane, possibly bought and acquired as advised or even with the assistance of the Guptas. Right now, however, no-one is at the steering wheel. It is about to crash.

In other words: South Africa is about to crash, because right now there is no clear leadership, not from our designated president neither from his friends or anyone within his sphere of power.

Because Zuma is preoccupied with pleasing the Guptas (as denoted by the sexual metaphor in the work), our country has launched itself on a collision course with destiny. We are about to annihilate ourselves because our leaders are occupying themselves with pleasure and trivialities.

That seems to make pretty good sense, Meneer Kombuis, because we know JZ is far more concerned with looking after his vested interests than those of the general public.

Sometimes it takes a painting of a poephol to illustrate that – and we’re not just talking about Atul’s back end.

[source:news24]