WATCH: Rasta – 20 years in the art scene, and still ‘pushing hard’

“Sho, Rasta!” is occasionally yelled out of car windows, as people drive by, while several others walk up to greet one of the country’s most (in)famous painter, while we stand on the busy corner of Claim and Van der Merwe Streets in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

While Rasta shares the story of the mural he painted across the walls of youth care centre, Twilight Children here, it is clear that he has become somewhat of a celebrity in the Johannesburg CBD, though few of his fans even know his real name.

He explains that Rasta was just a name given to him by the public, when his work started going viral on social media. Previously, the visual artist went by his real name, Lebani Sirenje, which he signed off on each artwork.

“I have now given it meaning. It now stands for Real Art Sculptured To Amaze,” he later explains about his moniker, while seated in front of two portraits which he was commissioned to paint as birthday gifts, at his studio in Berea.

While his paintings of public figures and celebrities are often criticised for not resembling the subjects, the reality is that Sirenje, 43, has been making a living from his passion for the past 20 years.

Raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, he realised his love for drawing as a young boy, when he used to sketch on fabric bought by his grandmother, which she would later resell in the villages.

“My grandmother realised I have talent and I started taking it seriously in primary school, where I would draw charts for our class and other school mates would come to me for sketches and that I should draw cartoons for them, which I would then sell to them.

“I started doing art from an early age. I think it was in my blood because my grandmother was also a crafter, as she would also weave mats and other things,” he explains.

After struggling to find a job upon completing school, the young artist decided to look for greener pastures in South Africa in 1996, where he found work in construction and restaurants.

Despite this, he was unable to hide his passion for drawing as he often sketched during his lunch breaks or take his art pieces to work. It was his manager at a restaurant in Sandton who encouraged him to pursue his passion back in 2000.

“I quit my job and this is what I do for a living now… I think people didn’t recognise my work at first because there was no social media. People would instead see me painting at rallies and soccer stadiums. I think I got my recognition from Twitter where people were posting this and that about me.”

It was, however, the image of him painting an unrecognisable Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2018 that catapulted him into the spotlight as the artwork he painted outside her home in Orlando East, Soweto shortly after her passing sparked harsh backlash from social media.

That is because people only captured images of his work in progress without returning to see the final piece, he says in defence.

“What I take is the constructive criticism from those who say I should push more. There are those who say ‘break the [paint] brushes of Rasta’ and sometimes it scares me, but each and every day I pray to be able to do what I like. Everyone is criticised everywhere. Even a soccer player who misses a penalty is criticised as if they have never scored before.”

He smiles with pride as he speaks of his favourite portrait of the late struggle stalwart Andrew Mlangeni, which he says received heaps of praise from the public.

Surrounded by some of his most famous paintings, such as that of Hugh Masekela, Riky Rick, George Floyd and Desmond Tutu, lined up side by side against the wall, he says the highest amount he has sold his artwork for was R10 000.

Musicians such as Riky Rick and Doc Shebeleza have also purchased his paintings, he said.

“But I also do murals, I paint for schools, creches, and signs for businesses. Social media has helped and I think it had a lot of impact on my life. If it wasn’t for social media, I wouldn’t be as big as I would be now. I like that people encourage me to push harder.”

rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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