EVATON – He paints every dull wall emakasana (a Zulu slang word for townships). From abandoned buildings, and corner tuckshops, to now, featuring his work on mall walls.
Thabang ‘Madweba’ Legodi, is the man behind colorful paintings in Evaton, including its mall. Contemporary art, sculptures, and wall murals are some of the types of art Madweba specialize in.
Sedibeng Ster took a tour with the 27-year-old visual artist recently, born and bred in the West, to some of his most recent work. Taking an opportunity to speak about his work, the young man said he started drawing from his early childhood.
“When I was five years, I always loved drawing. Although sometimes my art would end me in trouble for drawing inappropriate images, I ended up loving art,” he said. Madweba is a Mechanical Engineer graduate and a business owner, with a fully registered art company.
“I always loved engineering drawing and I was good at it. During the lockdown, I had drawing paper and drew what would come to my mind. It didn’t end there, I started a company and did a couple of projects in my kasi to keep the desire flaming,” he said.
After drawing an iconic Bosso image in one of the abandoned structures outside Evaton, Madweba became popular and scored himself painting gigs at Evaton Mall.
“We did a couple of art with the mall including the Johannesburg skyline and the most recent one of silhouette designs. There is a project I am working on with one of the local malls, and looking forward to my biggest break,” he said.
Madweba said his looking to more future opportunities in arts and sees himself showcasing his work abroad.
“I’ve been filing proposal to work with art galleries, but lack of funds dent my chances. I’ve been getting opportunities as far as Cape Town, unfortunately I don’t have the financial muscle to relocate at this moment.
“I am looking forward to having more opportunities in the future. I see myself as a muralist working with big names such as Nelson Makamu, more malls and big companies. I see myself exhibiting in a number of art festivals abroad,” he said.
Marketing Manager at Evaton Mall Mpho Liau said they (the mall management) first entrusted Thabang with painting self-portraits of their staffers and they loved his work.
“After the first paint job he did with us, we always used him to bring colour to facilities. When we undergo construction and there are dull whiteboards, we trust him to colorize the spot,” he said.
“We are very happy to always work with him and excited about the work he is set to do at one of the malls in the area and continuing to bring colour to our communities,” he added.
