ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist, I am deeply drawn to the rich culture and vibrant colors of Africa. My work focuses on creating abstract representations of African women, highlighting their strength, beauty, and resilience.
Through my brushstrokes, I aim to capture not just their physical presence but also the essence of their spirit and the power of their femininity. My paintings are a tribute to the African women I admire and a celebration of their courage and perseverance in the face of adversity.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Noleen Karumazondo was born and raised in the dusty streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, before moving to South Africa in August 2016. She lived in Cape Town for two years, immersing herself in diverse cultural activities that inspired her artworks and ideas. In June 2023, she relocated to the tranquil town of Calvinia in the Northern Cape.
Skilled in multiple mediums and art forms, Noleen specializes in murals, fine art, clothing customization, and portrait painting. Her work is featured in numerous private collections and collaborative projects with various businesses. Her signature style is characterized by vibrant colors, bold brushstrokes, and dynamic compositions that celebrate the spirit and beauty of African women.
Noleen studied Visual Arts at the University of South Africa. She has worked with Doctors Without Borders, painting murals about COVID-19 vaccination across Khayelitsha. In 2022, she was the only African artist selected by MSF Lebanon to create an illustration for World TB Day. Since early 2021, she has collaborated with Foschini, customizing clothing. Currently, she focuses on painting life-size, colorful portraits of African women.
She was commissioned by Professor Zanele Muholi from the Muholi Art Institute—one of her major inspirations. Her work is also featured in lodges, private homes, and businesses. Noleen’s artworks are exhibited in galleries across various provinces of South Africa, including Benguela Cove Gallery in Hermanus, Western Cape.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Mona Lisa - The art of Upcycling
From figurative and representational to complete abstract, creating and innovating fine art in multidisplinary styles and techniques.
Much emphasis is placed on experimentation with used (waste) and new materials and mediums, whilst always striving to be unique.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
I was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and from a young age showed a keen visual interest in the world around me, encouraged by a strong artistic flair that runs through my family.
While studying the history of art, I was fascinated and inspired by the French Impressionist movement from the 1870’s, and the unique characteristics they introduced into their work - not least the accurate depiction of light and its changing qualities.
Following my studies at (NKA) the Nelson Mandela University in art, photography and graphic design, I pursued a long and successful career in the advertising industry. The variation and creativity of visual material and ideas required in this profession, has certainly influenced my painting and photography significantly. From figurative and representational styles to complete abstract, I create and innovate art in multidisciplinary techniques. Much emphasis is placed on experimentation with used (waste) and new materials and mediums whilst always striving to be relevant and unique. One of my main objectives is to achieve an exceptional standard for myself and my art audience / buyers, who appreciate a high level of creativity and quality in fine art.
To keep a purity and traditional thread in my work (not to mention the enjoyment and challenge) I still regularly paint directly outdoors, ‘en plein air’, to effectively and spontaneously capture a scene with its own particular colours and light at the time. Landscapes dominate my subject matter in this discipline through my love of the outdoors and the beauty in nature - acrylic paint is the main medium I work in for ‘en plain air’ painting.
As with painting, the art of photography holds a special appeal and interest for me. Truly understanding composition, imagery, light and timing are key to mastering this magnificent medium. Capturing that key, fleeting moment on camera is the most challenging and rewarding achievement, for me.
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring the act of photography to all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved”. Ansel Adams.
Success I believe is achieving a timelessness in my work, and one in which the collectors and owners of my art pieces never tire of the visual enjoyment experienced.
As a multidisciplinary artist, my different styles and techniques are divided into four brands.
Gavin Larkin / Dushana / Neil / Nivag
I am based in Cape Town, South Africa, and have been practicing as a professional artist for the past three years. At least seventy percent of my work sold to date, through galleries and direct commissions, have been to overseas buyers.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“With this show, I explored painting in a more impulsive way, focusing less on the image itself and more on the concept of painting and my narrative. My narrative has always been, and continues to be, a reflection of the impact your environment has on you. With each portrait, I aimed to reach the heart of the subject and uncover its soul by embracing a more instinctive approach to painting.”
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Dion Cupido (b. 1973) grew up in Mitchells Plain, South Africa. Largely self-taught, he has journeyed from a teenager creating graffiti on the walls of the Cape Flats to becoming a respected contemporary artist. Cupido discovered his talent for painting in 1990 while helping a friend with a school project, and his first paintings were exhibited in 1998. In 2003, he joined the Arts & Media Access Centre’s (AMAC) professional development program, where he won the Truworths AMAC Academy of the Visual Arts award.
By 2013, ArtSouthAfrica, the continent’s most influential and widely read arts magazine, nominated him as a Bright Young Thing. Around this time, he experienced an important realization about his work: it often evokes thoughts and memories in viewers.
“I realized that our biased memories do more than simply present us with images of our personal history. They also shape our sense of who and what we are. In doing so, they guide us toward forming opinions about ourselves that may not be entirely accurate. As a result, they often limit us to experiencing life only as we think we know it,” says Cupido.
Today, Cupido’s work combines abstraction and portraiture, incorporating street art techniques to delve into themes of memory and identity. Writer and art historian Ashraf Jamal has observed that Cupido “represents the very newly minted post-transitional moment in South African art; a moment in which our dark history and its democratic afterglow are both beside the point.”
Cupido lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa.
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.
Reno Horn is a Cape Town based fashion photographer and artist, with many years of experience as a make-up artist.
His art reflects all of these, focusing on the beauty of his subjects with an alternative twist. The contrast between light and dark, highlights and shadows and brilliance of colour are all very essential aspects of his work. Beauty in light can always be found in darkness as well, if not more.
Reno uses multimedia techniques to create alternate images of photography, elevating original photographs to the impression of paintings. His work is edgy and haunting but always reverts to beauty.
Kristi Marié is an artist hailing from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After completing her studies, she moved to Cape Town to work as a Graphic Designer & Art Director, before eventually pursuing her passion for art full-time.
Initially focused on selling detailed watercolour paintings of South African wildlife to the tourism industry, Kristi’s artistic journey has evolved over time. Since 2019, her work has been a personal exploration of her emotions, using her art as a medium to collect and express her innermost feelings. Her new theme of work helped her deal with her anxiety over difficult times.
Colour and theme play a significant role in Kristi’s work, providing a vital means of processing these difficult emotions. Through experimentation with different mediums, she has found a unique approach to portraying her emotions. While watercolour was an early method, oil has become her preferred medium for capturing the sensation of being underwater. In her oil artworks, Kristi plays with texture and perspective to demonstrate her growth as both an artist and a person.
Her use of elements reflects her ongoing exploration of personal growth and the human experience of the ocean. With an ever-evolving style, Kristi’s work captures the depth and complexity of emotions in a raw and powerful way, offering a unique perspective on the human experience in and out of the ocean.
My name is Lonwabo Vimbi. I’m a visual artists. I’m based in Cape Town. Working on a theme of women empowerment. I have exhibited in these art galleries.
Tiny Treasury×2, Group exhibition Members exhibition Zaitz MOCAA Emergin artist, Our Workshop and exhibition, Group exhibition of city of cape town City of cape town 44 street exhibition, A1 group exhibition, Online exhibition in California and Hong Kong.
What inspired me to work on this theme is that I grew up in a violent society. Where my stepfather used to abuse my mother physically and emotionally. Every time this happened, I always went to my room and took a pencil with a paper and drew up something. That’s where I realized that I want to make a change in the society I live in through my artwork, as a Feminist and an advocate of gender based violence against women and children.
One day I want women and children to see the beauty and power they have, through my art.
Stars are normally born in the sky, but these strong women represent the rough diamonds, that weren’t supposed to shine.
They stand strong through all the hardships; they wear their scars on their sleeves. They will never back down, they wear bright colors to show their pride and beauty spreading love and light.
TurnUp Music is proud to present the Icon Series 2.0, a collection of ten limited edition prints featuring some of South Africa’s most influential musicians. Shot by internationally recognized photographer Travys Owen and leading South African creatives, the Icon Series 2.0 is about supporting and inspiring the South African creative industries.
TurnUp Music’s mission is changing lives, one song at a time. We exclusively focus on local talent and host content from South African superstars like Khuli Chana, Busiswa, and Vusi Nova.
We’re a home for undiscovered artists keen to make their music available to the large South African audience connecting to the internet via mobile phones. We’re focused on creating opportunities to grow artists and amplify their careers.
With the Icon Series 2.0, “Collaboration was at the heart of this project,” says Indianna Kool, Executive Creative Director of TurnUp Music. “We brought together multiple South African creative talents to merge music, art, and fashion and create magic. Our goal is to always have multiple income revenue streams for artists, and we had a lot of fun doing it.”
Ten musicians gathered in a Johannesburg studio to work with a team of leading creatives. Kgomotso Moloto created bespoke weaves and headpieces, master make-up artist Orli O experimented with colours and textures, and Boogy Maboi led the styling, using clothes and accessories that showcased each musician’s individuality. The Icon Series 2.0 features portraits of Khuli Chana, Lamiez Holworthy, YoungstaCPT, Moonchild, Rowlene, Moozlie, Rouge, Yanga Chief, Vusi Nova, and Tshego. “It was essential for us, after such a constrictive year in the industry, to connect with South Africa’s best artists and celebrate their individuality,” says Indianna.TurnUp Music is offering a limited edition of 10 prints of each artist for sale. All proceeds made by TurnUp Music will go into funding their next project.
