Pretoria. (NMG) Controversial artist Ayanda Mabulu, whose painting of President Jacob Zuma licking Atul Gupta has gone viral, has said the artwork was inspired by his hatred for the South African leader.

In recent months, President Zuma’s relationship with the wealthy Guptas has come under severe scrutiny with the opposition claiming the Indian family may have influenced some Cabinet appointments.

Mr Mabulu's latest painting, which is being exhibited at the Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, has been trending on social media since Tuesday.

The exhibition has been themed ‘South Africa before and after democracy’.

A bad person

The dreadlocked artist said there was nothing to love about President Zuma.

“I hate him. Does that make me a bad person?” he asked.

This is not the first time Mr Mabulu has ridiculed the South African leader. His previous painting, Umshini Wam, also showed President Zuma with his private parts exposed and another showed him in a compromising position with a woman, with a man in a colonial outfit and the face of a hyena also in their company.

Vulgar and disrespectful

Mr Mabulu's explanation was that the painting was a commentary on South Africa being raped by big business with politicians enjoying some of the fruits of those spoils.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has dismissed Mr Mabulu’s artworks as “vulgar and disrespectful” and wants South Africans to condemn them.

ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the paintings “abused freedom of expression”. He said they went “beyond what satire is about”.

The economy

Mr Mabulu argues that his paintings were merely a reflection of the state of affairs.

“The economy of the country is crushing. Socially, the country is in ruins. People are looked at as nothing. Who is to be blamed? The ruling party, the politicians. And who’s driving that? The president, who’s doing all of that with the Gupta guys. He’s selling us out and doing all those things. Do we as artists have to make something nice?” he said.

Right to dignity

Mr Mabulu would not disclose the price of the painting. However, in 2012, a comparable piece of artistic satire that also had the country in uproar, The Spear, is believed to have sold for about $10,000 to a German art collector.

The ANC had marched to the gallery in protest at that painting, which it said infringed on President Zuma’s right to dignity.