Sculptor tackles GBV issues through art
Prevost shares complex experiences of being a woman in this era
Growing up in a family of artists and musicians, Dora Prevost sought to discover her own creative bone. Struggling to find the right art form, she landed on the splendid world of sculptural art.
With no formal training or education in the art form, Prevost has made waves in the art scene even catching the attention of a number of art prizes, including her PPC Imaginarium Awards win and being listed as one of the 2019 Emerging Artists with Design Indaba.
After years of abandoning the hobby, she came back into the world of art to express and celebrate the complex experiences of being a woman in the 21st century.
At a time where women’s lives are under constant attack, Prevost lets us in on the work that has gone into creating her poignant art pieces.
How did you fall in love with art?
I took an informal art classes and tried drawing first, but I discovered it was not my cup of tea, so I dropped it. I discovered a sculptor at a friend’s place and I was amazed.
I asked her what it was made of and she told me it was clay and I wanted to take courses for it and I went.
When I started it was just as a hobby and people were very interested in my art and told me to take it to the next level.
What inspired you to move to SA?
I used to come on holiday in South Africa because it’s very close to the DRC – about a fourhour flight. I just fell in love with the country and the people. When I moved here I was doing a Masters degree in law, so I had to learn English at the same time which was so challenging for me coming from a French-speaking country.
Please run us through the process of creating your sculptural art pieces?
I make my clay and fire it and sometimes I finish it with bronze. Thanks to PPC, I started working with cement. The inspiration can come from almost anything, especially focusing on women. Women are beautiful and they have interesting shape. I’ll even go out and see the pattern of the tree and I will use it as my next project.
One of your biggest influences in your art is breaking the silence on gender-based violence, why is it so important to you?
In a way, my art creates awareness so that people know what’s happening. And it gives them hope in this catastrophe that is affecting people all around the world. I want my art to contribute to the conversation on this violence that is horrible.
Can you run us through how your art pieces tackle this issue?
There was this student in Cape Town, Uyinene Mrwetyana, who was actually murdered and her story moved me so much as a mother, as a sister and as a woman. I could not just keep quiet around an issue like that and it was just one of many issues. When I go and create a sculptor you can see the sadness and the suffering, but I always use gold in my sculptors, the gold expresses the hope that we have to hold onto. One day this is going to stop and the only way it’s going to stop is if all of us get involved in this situation and try to break the silence.
Art galleries can be quite inaccessible for many people who need to be confronted by these issues, how can they access this kind of work?
When one hasn’t gone through the formal way of schooling for art it can be quite challenging and I am thankful for social media. There is a snobbery about art galleries that makes them inaccessible, especially when you are a young emerging artist who has to sell themselves.
What advice can you give to young artists looking to tackle difficult topics like these?
Be confident about your work and believe in yourself. Learn to take the advice that people give you, but be careful not to lose your authenticity.