A single paraffin lantern standing in the middle of a table, barely enough light to make out the words in the colourful textbook. Another night with unfinished schoolwork and a cold bath. Some nights will be darker than others, as paraffin is sometimes too expensive to afford.
This is what South Africans, especially the poor communities, go through during *load shedding. It slows down our lives.
This experience inspired Kwandiwa Dlwati to create his winning artwork, Facing the dark, which he entered for the 2022 New Breed Art competition.
The New Breed Art Competition was established in 2016 by Bloemfontein law firm, Phatshoane Henney Attorneys as a unique visual arts competition. Now in its sixth year, the competition provides an excellent platform for Free State artists to showcase their talent and contemporary Free State art, and to benefit from the prizes and national exposure the competition provides.
Kwandiwa grew up in Mount Frere, a small, but scenic, village in the Eastern Cape. He is currently studying Art and Design at the Motheo TVET College in Bloemfontein.
He entered a second artwork in the 2022 New Breed Art competition, called Rural Woman. With this artwork, he drew inspiration from his mother and the community where he grew up.
“I was, predominantly, raised by my mother in a small village in the Eastern Cape. My view of women and a woman’s role as a caregiver was shaped by traditional beliefs and my circumstances. With this work, I comment on the quality of life and struggles my mother endured because of these traditional views and beliefs that a woman is only good for cooking and raising children. The artwork recognises women who live with these struggles and labels them as strong individuals. It attempts to correct history”, explained Kwandiwa.
He received a Merit award for both artworks entered. “The competition impacted my life in getting more exposure in the art industry and getting more experience. It will also help me financially, as I can now buy art material to continue my studies. This competition also gave me more confidence, as I am a very shy person. This experience showed me that I do have a voice and that I can be heard”, said Kwandiwa.
When asked which artists inspire him, Kwandiwa answered: “My favourite artists are William Kentridge with his Lot 2, Nelson Makamo’s Souls of Azania, and my fellow Merit award winner, Kamohelo Sebonyane’s Let’s break the silence of the past.”
A word of motivation from Kwandiwa to other emerging artists: “My advice to up-and-coming artists will be to believe in yourself and invest in your talent.”
As for future plans, Kwandiwa learned from this competition and realised that he does have a voice and that his art can bring more focus and understanding to what every day South Africans go through and also develop international subject matters.
* Load shedding: planned and controlled process of switching off the electricity supply, nationally, due to the energy crisis in South Africa.
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