Born in 1942, Vryheid, KwaZulu Natal - died in 1999.
Sibiya was inspired from an early age by ideas of the mystical and abstract as a result of frequent visits with his father to the Sangoma. The boy would ‘borrow’ some of the healers’ artefacts, attempt to recreate them at home, and return them promptly before anyone would notice their disappearance.
Sibiya grew up in the colourful neighbourhood of Sophiatown, but due to the politically motivated destruction of the area the 1950s, his family had to relocate to Soweto. He went to school in Hammanskraal where the young boy experimented with woodcarvings. Before completing his school education, Lucky introduced himself and some of his painted 'found' objects to Cecil Skotnes, who was at the time one of South Africa's foremost contemporary artists. Skotnes was head of the Polly Street Art Centre in Johannesburg and was eager to accept Sibiya as a private pupil.
Sibiya took folklore and traditional mediums and images to a new level of sophistication. However, they maintained their raw and ritualistic feel. Over time, his wood carvings evolved towards his distinctive engravings, coloured by rubbing powdered pigments into them.
Lucky Sibiya’s works are still some of the most distinct and desirable throughout the art community, and exhibited in many galleries.
