Local visual artist redefines creativity
Brooklyn young artist says talent and dedication earned him top honours in competitions, including the Arts & Culture Festival in Rustenburg, where he competed nationally.
A 25-year-old visual artist from Brooklyn has been making waves in the Pretoria arts scene with his thought-provoking and emotionally charged works.
Reitumetse Matsaneng was born and raised in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, and began his artistic journey at a tender age.
He is currently working on a piece titled “The Enchantment of Love”, that explores the ethic of love in romance and euphoria.
His talent and dedication earned him top honours in various competitions, including the Arts & Culture Festival in Rustenburg, where he competed nationally.
Matsaneng’s educational background is rooted in the arts.
He attended Germiston High School, where he honed his craft, and later went to Johannesburg Central TVET College art campus.
“College provided me with the ideal environment to grow as a fine artist.”
His academic credentials include an N6 certificate, as well as short courses in subjects ranging from book buying to Christian apologetics, philosophy, science, and religion.
Matsaneng is currently working at Exclusive Books in Brooklyn Mall.
“As an artist, the balance between my fine art creativity and a 9-to-5 is literally positioned on a razor’s edge,’ he said.
He added that his art style is a unique blend of realism and surrealism, shaped by his worldview, mentorship under Solomon Mugutso, and real-life scenarios.
Matsaneng’s themes explore spirituality, idealism, virtues, and ethics, with the intention of inspiring his audience.
“When I am working on a new piece, I start with references and a rough draft sketch, which helps me actualise my composition.”
His favourite medium is ink, which he said offers a sense of bravery and command.
One of Matsaneng’s greatest highlights was participating in the Arts and Culture Festival in Rustenburg, where he earned third place.
However, he acknowledged the biggest challenge he faces as an artist is balancing his creative pursuits with the demands of his 9-to-5.
“The harshest reality I’ve faced as an artist is that fine art is often admired but rarely funded,” he said.
“This has resulted in many talented artists being less enthusiastic about pursuing art as a career due to the threat of poverty.”
Matsaneng advised fellow artists to cultivate a secure stream of income while pursuing their passion and prioritise commitment over financial incentives.
In the long term, he hopes to have an exhibition of his art and create pieces that communicate a message that outlives him.
Outside of art, he enjoys working out, reading, and studying philosophy, theology, antiquity, and historicity.
“My most special art piece is ‘Mayhem and Movement’, a work that holds sentimental value as I created it during my high school days and earned me recognition from my art teacher.”
As for his dream collaborations, Matsaneng would have loved to work with his mentor, Solomon Mugutso, or the renowned Leonardo da Vinci, whom he admires for his expertise in various fields.
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