Lionel Davis, SA artist, is born in District 6 in Cape Town. While incarcerated on Robben Island as a political prisoner between 1964 and 1971, he completed his Senior Certificate. After his release he was restricted under a banning order and kept under house arrest until 1976. In 1978 and 1979 he worked at the Community Arts Project (CAP), Cape Town, as assistant organiser. The following year he began studying at Rorke's Drift and completed the course in 1981. Davis has contributed to literary magazines, books on education, poetry anthologies and calendars. He produced cartoons for a children's magazine and taught screen-printing at CAP. He also participated in the Triangle Workshop in New York and the Thupelo Workshop in Johannesburg. In 1988 he was deeply involved in community-based children's education. Lionel's work has been exhibited widely both nationally and internationally.
Published June 15, 2012Updated September 30, 2019