Wadelin McKuur better known as WadelinTheArtist from Eldorado Park shares his motivation for working on the Nathaniel Julies art piece and the latest on his journey through the arts.
After 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies was shot dead by members of the South African Police Service there was an uproar in the community last year. While some protested and campaigned against the injustice, WadelinTheArtist decided to put his emotions into an art piece.
“The motivation behind the Nathaniel Julies artwork was to stand behind the family and show them my support. They should always know that they’re not alone in their fight for justice,” said the artist.
He admits that drawing Julies was stressful because he had to draw it live at the memorial service and had to finish it before it ended.
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“Handing the piece over to the family was a moment of pure gratitude and really special because they did not know about the handover and they appreciated the kind gesture,” added WadelinTheArtist.
The artist who only uses a pen, markers, and pencil in his work would not just like to be known as an artist but rather an artist who brings about change.
“I always see the media portraying Eldorado Park in a negative light. Yes, there is bad that happens here but that’s not the whole story. There’s good too and the amount of good overpowers the bad but they choose to show a negative light. Eldorado Park possesses pure gold and ‘she’ has the potential to generate million-rand businesses.
“The gold is in our hands and we need to change our focus and approach. We should not wait to be invited to the table but to create our own and use the platform to show the world a positive light of who Eldorado Park is,” WadelinTheArtist explained.
When it comes to what he has been up to during the Covid-19 period, the artist shared that work has been slow but he has received some support during these times which helped his business.
When looking at his artwork, WadelinTheArtist would like people to receive the message that it is possible to go beyond what we think is possible.
We asked what type of art piece he would use to define himself and he said, “An artwork that would define me would be something abstract. It’s not always liked, nor is it always understood, it’s all over the place and still it could bring peace.”
Through his partnership with an organization called MEGA by Pastor Ashley Sauls, WadelinTheArtist has one art piece of Nelson Mandela in the United States of America which is now in the hands of the founder of the Swaliga Foundation Lemond Brown. The future looks bright for the young entrepreneur as he looks to make greater changes in the community of Eldorado Park.
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