Meet Kelvin Chiwanza the rockstar artist
Creativity is a superpower that allows you to connect the seemingly unconnected and open people's eyes to the world in meaningful and spectacular ways.
Born and raised in a small village in Kadoma, Zimbabwe. Kelvin Chiwanza is a 25-year-old pencil sketch artist who lives in Sandton. His love for art began in primary school when his teacher told his class to draw an airplane.
“My art was posted in our class the following day, and that is when I realised that I have a special gift.”
Due to financial difficulties, he couldn’t attend any tertiary institutions.
“I did art because of my home situation. I had to find ways to bring food to the table.”
In 2017 he relocated to South Africa. During his hustling period, he found a job in early 2020 at a market as a signwriter. He worked there until his contract ended in early 2021 due to Covid 19.
“I had to find better ways to feed my family. I then pursued art full-time.”
Chiwanza is inspired by many artists who advertise their work online.
“I follow several artists including Rasta. I’ve been learning from him. He promotes his brand using social media.”
“Art is all about discovery, I’m still learning through others in terms of tools and how they handle their business on social media. I’m still trying to perfect my imperfections.”
According to Chiwanza, art allows artists to express to the world how they feel and to see things differently and to tell a story uniquely.
“If you aspire, you must never retire,” he says of the motivation that keeps Chiwanza going.
What he dislikes is that not enough people value what artists do and he wishes that people could appreciate art and learn more about it.
