View Appearances, Phenomena, Reality
Exhibitions & Events:
2011: Exhibited at the 200 Eastern Cape Artists Exhibition at the Athenaeum
2011: Curated the 200 Eastern Cape Artists Exhibition
2010: Participated in the exclusive Fashion & Art charity benefit in aid of The SA Medical and Education Foundation in association with Gavin Rajah
2009: Participated in the 'Who’s Who, What’s New' Group Exhibition at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum
What is your favourite film of all time?
I struggle to choose between The Shawshank Redemption, Powder and Into the Wild
What music are you currently listening to and why?
Michael Jackson hits, but I’ve struggled to find the song Childhood; I want to do a painting that was inspired by it.
Which living artist do you most admire and why?
Nicholas Hlobo, his investigation of taboo aspects of not only his, but MY OWN ethnic and sexual identity. He has made an open-secret the multitude of complex aspects that form just some of the qualities of identity. Also Brett Murray for his humorous illustrations and general scoff at religion and superstition has resonance with my personal outlook at the subjects, he addresses the issue the same way I believe the world should be seeing it.
Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?
Piet Mondrain, as an artist and as an architect, simplicity in form and design allows for an undemanding but universal appreciation even if the underpinnings of his theories was and still is esoteric to some.
Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?
Nicholas Hlobo – Umtshotsho, the refinement of his craftsmanship with a range of materials, some of which I know I would struggle with. His art on paper is also inspirational; my time viewing this exhibition also coincided with a time where I was up in arms with my drawing Professor about breaking the boundaries of traditional drawing techniques and methods. But moreover, the way in which his work moved me, a strange comfortable fear.
What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it?
“Wow, that’s beautiful! How did you make it and how did you come up with it?” (The honest answer is - I just looked around me, found a few disconcerting things in my immediate surroundings and the people around me and let the flow of creativity take its natural course). The answer I tell people though is – I drew my inspiration from nature… cut the glass in various shapes and sizes and had fun with the idea…
What/who inspired you to be an artist?
I had my own ideas of what I was going to do after high school; I wanted to study Industrial Design and admired Chris Bangle’s work in the BMW house. I blame ending up as a Fine Art student instead purely on chance and my relentless conviction towards always throwing myself into things I’m not absolutely certain about but risking it anyway.
Can you tell us about your art and what if any, the significance of this location is?
the people I’m with all the time, my family, my friends and my mates at varsity all have an impact on my art
What do you like most about being an artist?
Anytime, anywhere, inspiration can hit you, on a Saturday night out with friends or words in a book, the work and interests of an artist are ever-changing and one’s perception of the world is complex as it is formulated by a heightened sensitivity to one’s surroundings (personally) as a result of the vast themes covered in Art History. Furthermore, the uniqueness of the individual comes through in a way I have not yet seen in any other field.
What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
showing my friends and family that my destiny doesn’t lie in making pretty things for tourists and selling them at flea markets and beachfronts. At our exhibition, they all saw the seriousness of the industry that is most taken for granted by (mostly ignorant) mainstream society and the intellectual output of artists in all fields.
What are your plans for the future?
To make more and more art, to raise awareness to the issues that matter to me most (hopefully without sounding too self-involved).