Local artist proud to represent the country

Visual artist Nico Phooko has been invited to participate in the Bakanal de Afrique Artist Fellowship (BAAF).

The BAAF 2020 cohort includes creatives of diverse disciplines, including filmmaking, dance, music, textile art, installation, visual art, literary and performance.

The artists will journey through the 2020 theme, ‘Mi Soon Come’: how modes of transportation in urban cultures intersect with culture, class and citizenship.

They will create new artistic work to be featured as part of the Virtual BdA multidisciplinary Afro Urban festival, in November.

The Advertiser had a chat with the artist.

When exactly and where is the Bakanal de Afrique Artist Fellowship going to take place?

The organisation that invited me, Afro Urban Society, is based in Oakland, California, United States. I have been invited as a core artist to the Bakanal de Afrique Artist Fellowship, a diverse group of talented and multi-dimensional creatives who shape culture locally and globally. As a fellow, I get to celebrate our people through art and culture, exchange with other artists of African descent and create new work to be featured in the Virtual BdA multidisciplinary Afro Urban festival, in November.

How did you get selected to be part of the festival?

There was an online call, I applied and was grateful that my art made sense to them. I am on Zoom with them, prepping for the festival constantly now.

What exactly do you specialise in?

I specialise in abstract and semi-abstract work. I am highly inspired by music and musicians and so I paint music. Every note is a wonderful stroke.
I also paint live on stage, documenting the proceedings of events, performances and a variety of meanings as it happens. Follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nico+phooko

Where are you from and how long have you been doing art?

I was born and raised in Kwa-Thema (Springs) and have been doing art before I noticed what I was doing was known as art and the people who does it are artists. Artists are born not made. We pool our talents into skills and business as we grow and realise that in the real world. Talent works and can be a very liberating business given the attention and the dedication it deserves.

What are your short- and long-term goals in the industry?

To be the best at what I came into this world to do and to share it with the whole world and to impart it on future generations. Talents are gifts to be shared all the time. I have the ability to compose music and the idea of incorporating art and music in my work is what I consider to be one of the unique approaches in art-making and asserting it in the industry is my goal.

What about art do you love?

The freedom to create what I think and feel and then have other human beings accepting, respecting, admiring and supporting what I do.

Who/what inspires you in art?

Music is my basic source of inspiration. I enjoy and feel mighty special to have the ability to attach it to my work. Nature and people of every walk of life keep me going and inspired too. .

If you could have dinner with three artists, who would they be and why?

There are thousands from around the world and these three are my homies (from Kwa-Thema). They saw the artist potential in me from an early age and they sowed the creative and art seed in me. I love cooking and that sumptuous dinner will definitely be on me. They are Sam Nhlengethwa, the late Madi Phala and the late Mafa Ngwenya.

Please tell me more about the dance and art workshop you’ll be facilitating soon?

It’s an art and dance workshop to inspire and encourage young artist and dancers to hold on to what the powers above blessed them with. Their art, their craft, their blessed gifts and their businesses.

Did you study art?

Yes, at Johannesburg Art Foundation, a private art college that discovered and accommodated most of South Africa’s prolific and popular artists to date.

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