| 2008Monday 8 December 2008 More than 3,000 people gathered at a balmy Clifton Fourth Beach for the first film of the Wavescapes Surf Film Festival on Friday. A vicious southeaster blasted the rest of the Cape Peninsula, but there was not a breath of wind on arguably the most beautiful cinema in the world. Cape Town, Friday 5 December 2008
Despite tough economic times, a local surfer has taken a plunge of a financial kind by purchasing a surfboard for R17,000. This was no ordinary board, however, it was a two metre "wavescape" meticulously decorated by underground comic artist Andy Mason. She has been painting graffiti for the past five years in South Africa, moving into the art world this year by taking what she does on the street into galleries. She has two shows coming up at 34 on Long Street, one in December and another in March. She intends to spend a year in Europe, getting inspiration and painting with other writers from around the world. She also does 3D animation, illustration and cake decorating. “I love what I do. I'm passionate about creating a positive image for graffiti writers who are making their mark on society in a legal and optimistic way. My surfboard depicts Little Bo-Peep paddling in a jelly fish swimming pool, holding up a cupcake, crying. Its meant to be funny and whimsical and of course, colourful!”
November 2008 South Africa's top young artists are on board for a unique exhibition that brings surfers and sharks together (in a nice way). Ten surfboards decorated by graffiti, comic and other artists, including Konradski, Willie Bester and Mak1, will be surrounded by 40 haunting photographs of sharks by award-winning photographer Tom Peschak from the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF), a non-profit conservation group. Craig is a leading South African surfboard sprayer and manager/owner of Lifestyle Surf Shop. Rory has been involved in surfboard sprays and design for more than a decade, including work for Dave Stubbs and Greg Stokes. Craig and Rory grew up together and share a house in Kommetjie. The duo, who have collaborated on many designs over the years, pulled this one off in record time. From a conversation between Spike and Craig at Lifestyle Surf Shop on a Friday, the completed piece was hanging in the VEO Gallery by Wednesday, the fastest turn-around in the history of the exhibition! The Oom was conceptualised by Rory. Since John Whitmore passed away, he has been waiting for a chance to create an image of him on a surfboard as a way of honouring the grandfather of surfing in South Africa – a reminder of where it began and how “he changed our lives forever”. In Rory’s words: “Late Sunday evening Craig told me he had offered to spray a board for the auction. I told him of my idea to create a silhouette of Oom on a board in recognition for all he gave us over the years. We were buzzing over the idea and couldn’t wait to get cracking. On Monday, we came across a picture of him and started manipulating the design to create a blurred effect from close but from a distance the design and detail would come to life.”
Mak1 is one of Cape Town's up and coming graffiti artists. Whispered in the same breath as the legendary Faith47 and Falko, they have collaborated on a variety of projects, workshops and films around Cape Town. The work is socially aware and message-driven, with more than a dose of beautiful aesthetic. They are among the foremost exponents of the graffiti culture in its purest form, a worldwide movement that motivates, educates and changes the world for the better through upliftment in the ghetto.
Mak1 is one of Cape Town's up and coming graffiti artists. Whispered in the same breath as the legendary Faith47 and Falko, they have collaborated on a variety of projects, workshops and films around Cape Town. The work is socially aware and message-driven, with more than a dose of beautiful aesthetic. They are among the foremost exponents of the graffiti culture in its purest form, a worldwide movement that motivates, educates and changes the world for the better through upliftment in the ghetto.
Fresh from the third Guangzhou Triennial in China, which ended on 9 November 2008, his next solo exhibition takes place at Michael Stevenson in January 2009. Botes has an MA Fine Arts from the University of Stellensbosch (1997) and a Diploma in Second Phase Illustration from the Koninklijke Akademie voor Beeldende Kunsten, Den Haag, Netherlands (1994). His biting satire, frequently directed at South African society, politics and religion, is channelled into his painting and printmaking, and his comix which have been published in the Bitterkomix series, alongside those of his frequent collaborator Anton Kannemeyer, since the early 1990s. Recent group exhibitions include Africa Comics at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2007); Turbulence at Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria; the Havana Biennale (2006)
Previously resident on the Bluff, now living in Muizenberg, N.D. Mazin is a cartoonist, illustrator, book designer, editor, writer, academic and goofyfoot longboarder. His underground comix, some going back to the ‘70s, include Cogent and Crint, Vittoke in Azania, The Adventures of Alison Wonderland, Praxis and Paranoia, The Big Chillum, the Legend of Blue Mamba, The Vittokes and New Planet TV. His comix have yet to be published in a reputable periodical, but his new strip, Azaniamania, now appears twice weekly on www.wavescape.co.za. His self-published ‘zines include Praxis, The Next Praxis, PAX (Pre-Azanian Comix), and Mamba Comix. His two previous Wavescape art boards were both purchased by Glen Thompson.
An iconic South African activist, Willie Bester records history and comments on society through his art. The township is his excavation site, from discarded license plates to old tins, bottles and plastic. These found objects are melded into mixed media collages and overpainted. The only training he has was a year at the Community Arts Project in Cape Town. The rest of his ‘education’ came from life. In addition to found objects and photographs he takes for backdrops, Bester works with oil and enamel, adding colorful, vibrant and descriptive statements about daily life in the townships. In response to the racism and hate that was rampant in South Africa, Bester states: "I was angry looking at these kinds of things and I saw pictures. So I used my work as a tool against apartheid. I didn't care if it matched your curtains or not. My art was a chance to be heard." Read Spike's Sunday Argus column on Willie Bester and the board called "Freedom on a Stick" here
A freelance graphic designer and illustrator, Trevor worked in ad agencies abroad before returning to Durban, where he spends most of his time designing, doodling, organising the odd exhibition and surfing (mostly surfing). After a stint at Disturbance Design, he recently started freelancing under the moniker Firebrand. Trevor has work published in several books, including Archive's Top 200 Illustrators Worldwide Annual, with Durban's Richard Hart and Scott Robertson. He has taken part in exhibitions in London, Praque, Cape Town, Beijing and closer to home. He organises the annual Bigwood exhibition, which this year brought together 50 talented artists and designers from around the country. Bigwood2 travels to Berlin in the next few months.
Ross Turpin is one of Durban's rising talents, a forward-thinking artist and designer. With his grounded, DIY ethic, Ross has worked hard at developing a signature style with strong, simple lines and vivid colours. His rich characters speak of intricate back-stories, often evoking a dreamy sense of calm. He uses negative space to full effect. He takes conventional imagery and reworks it into something fresh and exciting. Ross is one of the most proactive local artists, constantly organising as well as participating in exhibitions big and small. "His characterisation, and use of simple lines to display features and/or emotion is spot on. Utilising a simple stroke of his illustrator's pen or brush he creates characters that appear caught whilst not being watched." – www.moralfibre.co.za
| |
