SOUTH AFRICA, Johannesburg – Monday, 15 April, 2019: From the hieroglyphics in Egypt to the cave paintings in Maropeng, art has always been a vehicle for documenting history and telling our stories. Art is also an interpretation of life and takes many different forms, such as music, paintings, graffiti and dance.
South African Tourism (SA Tourism) has partnered with three acclaimed Durban artists to paint a 22-metre wall mural inside the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) that will be unveiled during Africa's Travel Indaba taking place on the 2nd – 4th May 2019.
This is part of a legacy project that SA Tourism would like to showcase as the hosts of Africa's Travel Indaba.
"We know that travellers from all over the world are keen to learn about the history and culture of any destination they visit. This wall mural is the creative expression of our culture and beautiful landscapes. It is also a celebration of South Africa's talent", says Sthembiso Dlamini Acting Chief Executive Officer at South African Tourism.
The wall mural is a representation of KwaZulu-Natal's lifestyle, showcasing the culture in the region, from the world famous beaches to showcasing landmarks that have played a part in promoting the region such as the Moses Mabhida Stadium which played a major role at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and continues to be a venue where a lot of cultural and significant events are hosted.
The artists painting the mural are: Samora Chapman, Fiya One, Mook Lion and Sphephelo Mnguni.
"This mural we are painting is a celebration of Durban as a beautiful destination with vibrant people from many different cultures. The art piece will have a street art aesthetic that is very engaging and exciting for people to look at. We want to tell this story through the mural and giving life to a place that we love by showcasing the Durban beach front where a lot of different people coexist and share that space", says Samora Chapman, one of the artists.
"Africa has a rich vibrant history of story-telling and culture narration. The 2019 Africa's Travel Indaba presents an opportunity for us to tell the world of Africa's successes, to change the narrative and stereotype of Africa into a positive one," concluded Dlamini.
The wall mural will be unveiled on the 2nd of May 2019 at the ICC and is intended to be a catalyst for starting more conversations on the importance of storytelling through the arts.
About the artists
Samora Chapman is a content specialist with skills in writing, photography, filmmaking and street art. He is a free-lancer based in Durban, South Africa. Samora has been documenting the city of Durban for 10 years, becoming immersed in many different scenes, and telling stories of hope and struggle alike. Find out more about Samora Chapman here: www.authorsamora.co.za
Hailing from the east coast of South Africa and currently operating out of Johannesburg, Fiya One is a multi-disciplinary artist that produces large scale, powerful murals and graffiti pieces. His style has evolved over the years – from traditional graffiti to op art, and more recently, he has been exploring a surrealist aesthetic. "My work is influenced by my surroundings and the post-modern age," he says of his subject matter. "I'm also interested and forms that evoke a physical response optically, rather an emotive response."
Mook Lion is a Durban street art pioneer and his style is wild, childlike and expressive. Moon Lion recently completed his Masters in Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology, investigating street art and mural art as examples of social activism with the use of Durban as a case study. His study was practice-led with the aim of producing site specific and socially conscious artwork in the public domain.
Sphephelo is one of Durban's most talented young painters and multi-media artists. His portraits are unique and powerful – capturing a nuanced vision of his subjects, who are often people from the local creative scene. Sphephelo has been doing art since he was a child and he continued to grow this passion throughout his school career. He studied a B.Tech in Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology, graduating in 2017, and has been pursuing a career as a full time artist ever since. He's exhibited at the KZNSA and the Other Room Gallery and worked on a number of major murals across the city, particularly in collaboration with fellow artist Mook Lion.
ENDS