Artist Luvo Disane believes the township’s creative and performing arts industry needs strong market participation for its sustainability.
“As great as this is, it’s not the best thing that can be done. A commercially viable industry must have market participants.
“In the townships, there are people who can buy art for what it is, for it to be sustainable we need big events such as this,” Disane asked.
The Pretoria-based creative artist said this at the #EkurhuleniArtsShowcase at Rhoo Hlatshwayo Arts Centre (RHAC) in Daveyton on March 18.
Disane was among hundreds of painters, performers, fashion designers and models who attended the event to showcase their talents.
“This is an important event. It creates awareness and injects hope. But it is the market that will ensure that the industry grows,” he said.
Among his collection was a collage that depicted the different moments during the pandemic.
He explained he aims to entertain, educate and inform in his body of work, which showed how the Covid-19 restrictions such as the wearing of masks and social distancing impacted people.
“I spread my message in different ways. The most important is education because you increase your chances of making better choices and getting better outcomes in your life.”
Disane bemoaned the lack of support for children who want to pursue arts as a career, saying he wanted to showcase his 2020 collection to his parents, who never believed in his artistry.
“You must have a taste for it. We had grown up to believe this was not a career. Our parents would rather spend money elsewhere than buy their photographer-child a camera.”
The director of the event, Samuel Fry from Inkwenkwezi Arts Agency, shared Disane’s sentiments, saying he hopes the showcase changes people’s perception of the arts.
“Having platforms like this is important. The arts are always shunned and seen as a hobby and not a viable career path.
“We had school learners here to show them the different disciplines in the industry. This will change the perception that you cannot make a career out of the arts,” said Fry.
Fry stated they started this initiative after seeing a need to get artists from the region to showcase, trade and build a network, adding that collaborations will lead to the growth of the industry in Ekurhuleni.
“We created this space because there isn’t much going on in the townships. We want to create a space where artists can collaborate and also have the RHAC as one of the leading art centres in Ekurhuleni.
“The region is rich with artists. It’s like a cradle of artistry – from musicians, fine artists and stage performers. It’s broad. That’s why we have this event to pay homage to them.”
According to Fry, they plan to turn the showcase into an annual event and hope to attract investors who will help drive and grow the event.
“This is not a once-off. We want to put this as a flagship Ekurhuleni arts showcase that happens annually because we have many pillars we want to roll out.
“We are thankful to the national Department of Sport, Recreation and Arts and Culture’s Mzansi Golden Economy initiative for opening the doors for us to realise our dreams.”
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