A mural in Paris celebrating the “yellow vests” revolt. Picture: EPA
The French Institute of South Africa announced the first edition of Ubuhle Bendalo, an urban art residency devoted to street art in all its forms, curated by Breeze Yoko.
Street artists Sitou Matthia and Doudou’ Style are coming all the way from France to join South African street artists Mr Ekse and Yoko to paint murals in Braamfontein.
Urban art has undergone a major transformation in the past 20 years, shifting from what was previously denigrated as vandalism to a greatly respected, highly innovative and increasingly lucrative art form.
Street art has arguably been the most exciting and dynamically evolving area of the visual arts space in recent decades, capturing the imagination and attention of the general public, collectors, curators, property developers and urban planners.
Although drawing on walls is an age-old practice, urban art is a relatively new artform.
Through a series of events, Ubuhle Bendalo is aiming to change this by creating meaningful collaborations between local and international artists to share ideas.
Breeze Yoko.
Yoko is a Cape Town-based multidisciplinary visual artist specialising in graffiti/urban art and video.
Yoko has painted in more than 13 countries and has participated in urban art projects and festivals in SA, Botswana, Mozambique, Senegal, Germany, Sweden, France and London.
As well as producing visual art, he has curated a number of urban culture events and exhibitions, including Street Talk (2014), featuring some of South Africa’s prominent street artists, and Deep Memory (2017) at Kalmar Art Museum, Sweden, featuring contemporary artists from around the globe.
For more information, go to the festival Facebook page.
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