Ivory Park local finds healing in art

A young Ivory Park artist uses discarded items found in his neighbourhood to create beautiful pieces of art.

Born and raised in Ivory Park, Mveliso Ntaba is an only child and grew up in difficult surroundings and faced many challenges, however, he has used these challenges to become a stronger person.

Ntaba (30) fell in love with art at a young age. After matriculating in 2009, he enrolled to study office administration at Ekurhuleni West College and graduated but was unable to find employment.

After losing both his parents, he decided to start a business selling eggs but it sadly failed. He decided to go back to focusing on his art and designing which helped him find the strength to tackle life’s problems.

Ntaba said his love for art was inspired by the environment he grew up in. “The area I live in has beautiful stories to tell, I live in an area where everyone believes in hard work and striving for success. I decided to join other hustlers from my area using art.”

He added that he used every type of material he found on the streets to add colour and dimension to his designs. “I use a lot of raw material to design art. Most of my art is designed with boxes, plastic, stones, cans, plastic bottles, sand and grass. I use some of the features in my house to design and add colour to my art.”

Ntaba does not sell his art at the moment but wishes to open an art gallery to showcase his work. To make a living, he designs accessories and sells them.
He wishes to find potential sponsors who can help him establish an art gallery. He has approached various departments and municipalities but has had no success yet.

Details: Mveliso Ntaba 083 558 1548 or visit Facebook at Mveliso Teardrop Ntaba.