Street sales, stolen value: Riverside artist fights to price his craft fairly
A young painter and sculptor from Riverside said selling on the streets kept him afloat, but at the cost of his art’s true worth.
Meet Thabo Mthombeni, a Riverside-based artist who said making a living from art is not just about talent but about where you sell.
“The challenge we face as artists is that the streets devalue your work, and now you are forced to sell at cheaper prices, yet this is your source of income.”
For Mthombeni, art is both passion and survival. While his work spans painting and sculpting, the reality of selling on pavements and at busy centres often forced him to compromise on pricing to make ends meet.
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“The equipment I use for my sculptures is expensive. I use stone from the mine cause the quality of it is very good, which makes it costly…I used to sell on the streets and malls at places like Bryanston, Fourways Crossing, and did exhibitions as well.”
Coming from an artistic family, Mthombeni’s journey began at the age of 11 after a moment of curiosity turned into purpose.
Photo: Reitumetse Gugushe
“My cousin Prince is very good with his hands, so he would always do paintings at home, and I always wondered how he managed to do such. I’ve always been curious and artistic until he abandoned his painting, and I finished it off. He was really impressed and from there, he taught me everything about painting, seeing how interested I was.”
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Mthombeni said his creativity was shaped not only by his surroundings but also by his imagination.
“I used to sketch out my dreams first thing in the morning. When I woke up, I would recall a face I dreamt of and start to sketch it.”
In 2022, his artistic expression expanded beyond canvas when he met fellow artist Martin Umali, who introduced him to sculpting and welding.
“Martin taught me welding and sculpting. We would exchange our resources, and I would practise sculpting while he learned painting.
“One day, he had a client, and he told me to give life to a stone, and just like that, I sold my first piece. He [Umali] is an artist in Venice now,” he added.
Mthombeni still continues to bring life through his sculptures and express himself through painting, although he no longer sells on the streets.
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