GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT FINE ART
MULTIDISCIPLINARY artist Nkhensani Rihlampfu wasn’t always serious about fine art. When he left high school, his plan was to study sport but he ended up changing his mind at the last minute.
“I ended up applying for fine and applied arts in Pretoria. I graduated in 2011 and haven’t looked back since,” said Rihlampfu.
He did some government work for a while before resigning to do work at a GroundSpark where he was responsible for casting sculptures into bronze.
In 2016, he took on the arts full time and has been practising since.
This weekend, Rihlampfu will be presenting his solo exhibition Mintsu Island to the public. Taking place at Eloff Stree, Joburg, this will be his first solo show as an independent artist.
“I work with different types of materials. In art you usually have people strictly known for either their drawings or paintings. I am trying to handle many different kinds of mediums at a time.
“There is so much to do and I did not want to box myself as an artist who only does drawings. Sometimes I get bored when I spend time on just one medium and always want to do something different.”
In 2019, Rihlampfu entered the Absa L’Atelier competition to gain a stepping stone to establish his career.
The competition is now in its 35th year and its sole purpose is to provide young African artists with the support, recognition, and exposure they need to cement their burgeoning careers.
“The bigger part for me to enter was to be able to work on bigger platforms and exhibitions and it paid off.”
Rihlampfu is one of the competition’s three 2019 ambassadors, alongside Nigeria’s Raji Bamidele and Tanzanian artist Winifrid Luena.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ambassadors were unable to travel and take up their residencies at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France, at Future Africa, in the University of Pretoria and at Nirox Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind.
“In light of the pandemic, it was agreed with the rights holders, Sanava (South African National Association for the Visual Arts), that winners will receive laptops and data and exposure to intensive virtually-hosted mentorship and masterclasses geared towards facilitating them with skills and opportunities to develop their careers,” said Dr Paul Bayliss, specialist art curator at Absa Group.
He said the winners would be able to take up their prizes, irrespective of future uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Rihlampfu has managed to stay creative during the pandemic, adding that his art works have helped him cope.
“Being creative can also help calm you down. For all the emotions you feel, you have a ‘punching bag’ called your studio, so you do whatever you want. It would be hard for me not to be creative at all because that’s how my neurons are. The one way I know how to voice myself out is through making the work,” he said.
Ideally, in the next few years he would like to become an internationally recognised artist, a goal he has already set in motion.
“The whole aim is to be listed among the top three in the world. I would like to introduce my work to all the big collections that are out there and I am slowly working towards that.”
This year’s L’Atelier theme is The Act of Art calling on fearless creators.
“The pandemic has allowed us to advance our digitally-led approach, and the entire 2021 L’Atelier will take place virtually, from online submissions to hosting a virtual awards ceremony.
“The adjudication process will also be live-streamed using an online platform, enabling us to lead the charge in being digitally progressive in the visual arts,” added Bayliss.