ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Thokozani Mthiyane is a Johannesburg based artist and cofounder of The Enso Circle. After finishing
school, Mthiyane spent his free time in the studios of painters Sfiso KaMkame and Thami Jali in Cleremont
Township, close to Durban, where he grew up. His time spent learning from artists Sfiso KaMkame and
Thami Jali has greatly inspired him.
With the Madcap’s Educational Theatre Company, Mthiyane gained experience in children’s theatre. He
then held his first solo exhibition at the Flat Gallery in Durban. Mthiyane is a multidisciplinary artist who talks as confidently about his work as an expressionist painter as he does about his time as a trilingual poet in France and as a musician as he does about his work as an expressionist painter and as a dancer touring Holland with the Inzalo dance company.
He has exhibited at the Centre for humanities research, and has exhibited at African noise foundation. He
developed his signature act of performing French poetry translated into Zulu in Cave Poésie in Toulouse,
Southern France. He returned to France in 2001 and again in 2004 to perform the poems of Jacques
Prévert in the small town of Heroville near Normandy.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The paintings are my young vision of table mountain and cape town’s light and happiness it gives us in shape colour and sound…enjoy them… Peter Webber, international artist… Nasa put me on insight unmanned spaceship to mars…. exciting
ARTIST STATEMENT
Lighting up each canvas with explosions immaculately placed in the death of the moment, Guto Bussab returns with another unbounded exhibition:
Dead Moment.
From Brazil to South Africa, missing the South-South paradigm that weaves like a tapestry through Bussab’s work is nearly impossible. Bussab’s work naturally reflects his nearly three decades as a rounded creative in the South African creative scene. Having made a global name for himself, Bussab has had an extensive career in various art forms, including fine art, photography, installations, filmmaking, directing, cinematography, and performance.
His works, which have continually encapsulated a retrospective and decolonial journey, are highly regarded and have been known to bring to light many significant issues. For this reason, each stroke of Bussab’s brush and each lens shutter serves as a medium to raise awareness and spark discussions surrounding these topics.
Bussab’s works go beyond capturing the subjects — his work also delves into the tension of similarity between the issues facing South/South countries, such as identity, gender politics, and self-making.
One of the most striking features of Bussab’s photography is his deliberate strategy to draw the lens towards various forms and manifestations of the gaze. Bussab shines a light on the white, masculine, LGBTI manifestations and reactions to the gazes. Since his works are tonally consistent, a clear sense of unease is evident in his art.
Bussab’s works go beyond just capturing beauty and explore decolonial thinking using a self-made vocabulary. His art is not only a reflection of his personal views but also stimulates conversations about important social issues that affect society.
Words by Thandolwethu Gulwa
ARTIST STATEMENT
Cape Town-based artist Buhle Nkalashe has always been interested in his African cultural heritage, the visual elements associated with it, and how it is evolving in response to a developing and changing world. Nkalashe uses his paintings to explore traditional patterns and contribute to more contemporary versions of cultural expression.
As events and trends come and go, we are constantly influenced and as a result, evolving. For this reason, even sacred cultural practices and aesthetics change over time.
“I chose to portray many of the figures facing backward. This is to show that they are leaving a legacy far more important than money – rather an evolution of new ideas. They inspire a different outlook on life in the way that we view ourselves and contribute to our culture. To me, they are looking at something far greater than their expectations and are moving toward that light to reveal what they are destined for,” says Nkalashe.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My name is Ashley Algeria Ferreira otherwise known as That’s Ash, born & raised in the East of Johannesburg, I now call Cape Town my home.
My art style is inspired by my favourite art genre, POP Art. If has taught me that one can give everyday objects new meanings.
My true passion blossomed when I created his character, Bare Bear.
From the first sketch, I knew it was the one. Bare Bear can capture every sense of feeling in any given moment.
My 7 Deadly Sins collection takes Bare Bear on a descent into
ARTIST STATEMENT
The Cosmos
Derived from the Greek word Kosmos, meaning “order,” the inspiration for this collection comes from the cosmic interplay of chaotic colors and manic energy that ultimately finds harmony and balance. It’s a journey that reflects both the past and the future, weaving them together in unison.
When do you know you’re done?
This question became increasingly relevant over time. In researching Pablo Picasso, I discovered his philosophy: a piece is never truly finished until it finds a new home. He would continue painting, layering more onto the canvas, to the point where some of his works were caked in paint. Inspired by this perspective, the birth of this universe felt much like the Big Bang—an explosion of creativity.
Windmills of the Mind: 7 Deadly Sins
A Capetonian Guinness World Record holding artist that works in a unique medium & loves film, reading & art history. JooJ paints, cuts & folds thousands of Origami Butterflies & gluesthem to perspex to tell his story.
His Windmills of the Mind series further adds depth to his work by manipulating layers of Perspex to enhance the motion of the butterflies in flight.
JooJ chose to take an emotional route to encapsulate the Nine Circles of hell from Dante’s epic poem that
inspired Dan Brown’s book, Inferno, a profound exploration of our Humanity& an allegory for man’s descent into sin.
