Mulalo paints her dreams

MULALO Sigogo (25) from Ngwenani ya ha Themeli outside Thohoyandou was bitten by the art bug.

Mulalo has been painting since 1996. She matriculated from William Themeli Secondary School in 2006 and enrolled for an LLB at the University of Venda, but dropped out in 2008.

She graduated in fine art and visual art from Matongoni Art Academy in Thohoyandou in 2009.

Sigogo says she was inspired by her brother, Divhani who is also an artist.

“I used to spend time just watching him draw. He is the one who told me about Matongoni Art Academy while I was still studying LLB, but I didn’t take him seriously until I dropped out,” says Sigogo.

“I started with line drawing until I developed a love for painting. I am proud to be a female artist because I am doing work that people often think is a man’s work. I can show them that this is not true,” said Sigogo.

“I use oil and acrylic paint and it takes two weeks to complete a painting.

The market is very slow in Thohoyandou. You can paint beautiful paintings, but find there is no one to buy them. If people were educated about art, they would buy more paintings.”

Sigogo also tries her hand at abstract art, depicting things like the infringement of human rights, rape and abortion. “I paint my dreams,” she said.

She encouraged young people to follow their dreams and to put education first.