Umsizi no Pende hosts art walkabout for learners
The learners were taught about printmaking, painting, drawing and photography.
Learners from primary schools around the East Rand experienced an art exhibition walkabout on Thursday. The children learnt about the art industry as a career, what it means to be a curator and the different ways of making art pieces.
Two artists with exhibited works treated the learners to a walkabout of their art pieces. On the exhibition’s opening on April 13, Umsizi no Pende hosted a prizegiving ceremony to award the artists whose work best described the theme, Qoqiqiniso (Looking into the past, present and future).
Falida Nkomo (public voter’s choice and silver prize winner) explained her creative contributions to the learners. Her artwork explored finding an identity and a home in a foreign country.
“My parents are from Malawi and raised me in South Africa. Growing up, I was afraid to reveal that I was Malawian because I was scared of being bullied.
“In my art pieces, I used my mom’s photographs from Malawi to show she is still a living representative or an archive.”
When she opened the floor for questions, a learner asked her how she made drawings without using brushes.
“It’s technical based. You use your eye to wipe out what you want to see. Art is about being a child again. It is about playing around with different techniques until you get the result you want,” she exclaimed.
Kwandiwa Dlwati won the bronze prize for his work which focuses on his upbringing and load-shedding. He shared the inspiration behind his artwork with the learners.
They engaged in a Q and A session where the learners and teachers shared their interpretations of his work with him.
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“You can interpret art in different ways. I may look at my work and see a political message about load-shedding and the state of my country, but you may interpret it according to your own perception,” Dlwati told the attendees.
The learners walked around the gallery exploring the different works. Afterwards, they played a game where they had to draw a picture with their eyes closed.
Art curator Happy Mashigo explained the difference between drawing, painting, printmaking and photography.
He encouraged the learners to pursue a career field they are passionate about. Umsizi no Pende coordinator Arnold Mabuya said the event was to inform the learners of the legitimacy of art as a career.
“We wanted them to see the artists, how they move and talk because artists have a unique way of carrying themselves. We want Umsizi no Pende to impact the lives of young people because they are the future generation of artists,” he concluded.
