Up close and personal art at KnexT Gallery

ON THE first Friday of every month, creatives come together for the sixth Intimate Theatre at KnexT Gallery to tell inspiring stories with their art to a small, engaged audience on a stage close enough to touch.

The programme includes music, poetry, art and dance (not necessarily all on the same night, but you get the idea).

Next week’s event presents painters, a poet, a rapper and a songwriter.

Marti Lund is a painter from Cape Town who works in many media. Trained as a realistic oil painter, his skills have branched into surreal street art, surfboard art and participatory murals within schools and non- profit organisations, using mostly acrylics and spray paint.

Moment Chaweza is a Malawian artist who – among other things – has created a series of works on elephants titled Madzulo, the Malawian word meaning sunrise. The works feature elephants with their calves at dusk and dawn, in acrylic and shweshwe featuring the incredible colours of the African sunrise.

Chaweza is self- taught and uses experimental media. His works currently introduce the aforementioned shweshwe fabric, which is a printed dyed cotton fabric widely used for traditional Sotho (South Africa and Lesotho) clothing. Originally dyed indigo, the fabric is manufactured in a variety of colours and printing designs characterised by intricate geometric patterns.

Poet, musician, photographer and travelling writer Chris Wait will present modern poetry, while rapper/singer Curtis Banks will use his music to tell his story and the story of every other person discovering their purpose as they journey through life; and seasoned songwriter Leigh Erasmus will share her songwriting skills.

KnexT is at 115C Harrington Street (on the mountain side of Roeland Street, so note you can’t crossover directly but have to go around via Canterbury). Entrance to Intimate Theatre is free, and it takes place from 7pm until 10pm. Home-made wraps will be on sale, with meat or vegetarian fillings, and there will be fresh blended juices available. Bring your own bottle of wine (R30 corkage).

For more info, call 060 971 9313 or see www.knextcapetown.com.