Artist pleads with curators to help put his work on the map
Mpumelelo Mthethwa started doing art at school.
Kwa-Thema – After many difficulties, Mpumelelo Mthethwa from Barcelona in Kwa-Thema managed to pick up himself and continued to follow his heart, doing what he loves most – art.
Mpumelelo has been in two accidents and also in and out of the hospital due to ill health, which led him to stop drawing and painting for some years.
“I started taking my art seriously at 15 years, after winning competitions at school and being told by teachers and fellow learners that I was good and needed to take it as a career,” said Mpumelelo.
He said he was also following in the footsteps of his brother, Sthembiso ‘Sthesh’ Mthethwa, however, his brother has now stopped painting and drawing. He is grateful for his uncle, Jabulani ‘JB’ Ndlovu, for sharpening his skills.
Mpumelelo said he does different types of art, including sculptures and painting. He mainly does charcoal art as it is the most affordable for him because other art materials are expensive. He doesn’t want to limit himself to the form of art he does.
“I am inspired by the famous artist Dumile Feni, whom I’ve been following, and noticed that he also uses charcoal for his drawings.
“Feni managed to put his drawings on a world map, and that’s where I also wish to see myself,” Mpumelelo said.
“Art galleries also limit us as artists, making it difficult to showcase our art to the broader public.
: Long distance runner Minenhle excels in schools competitions
“Sometimes we would be told that our drawings are ‘too serious’ or they don’t exhibit charcoal art and that kills our spirits,” Mpumelelo said.
Mpumelelo said he is currently featured in and working on a comic book to be released sometime next year. He will be moving to commercial art, which he hopes will boost him financially.
He is also working with Luzuko Mjoli of Kwa-Thema Free-soul, a branding company on a few things to be revealed in due course.
Mpumelelo pleads with art curators who would like to see his work and or work with him to contact him at 069 959 5332.
He can also be found on Instagram @SuccessUC4Y.
