The president of South Africa Jacob Zuma has been framed again in another painting on show in Cape Town at AVA gallery. In the painting Zuma is dressed in traditional wear with his privates exposed. The artist, Ayanda Mabulu, titled the painting Umshini Wam (Weapon of Mass Destruction). To him it’s dedicated to the miners who died. It intends to strip Zuma of his suit and tie and bring him to the level of ordinary people who suffer daily according to the report in The Star. The artist claims that the painting did not show a lack of respect for Zuma saying:

“He is not naked; I did not paint him with an uncircumcised penis. This is a metaphor that shows he is not a boy; he is a man, an elder, a father, a leader … Through this painting, I respectfully, as one of his children, ask my father why he is starving us. Why he is negating his duties to his children, the citizens of South Africa.”

“I’ve always had the tendency to cause trouble,” says Maryam Keshavarz. The 36-year-old is speaking down the line from an idyllic-sounding writers’ retreat in Portugal, but with the release of Circumstance in the UK this week, the first-time director is not far from controversy. More from the Guardian

Art by Misheck Masamvu

Interview with Misheck Masamvu of Village Unhu

Why did you choose a career in visual arts, how and when did it begin?
I found solace in being creative. Being creative gave me more meaning. I started venturing into art as far back as 1998 and in 2000 that’s when I started to conduct art more professionally. Painting became my strongest way of communicating.

How would you describe your work environment?
It’s a place to share experiences. The studio creates some form of a discipline. It’s an environment where you can create ideas and it puts you into the right realm of thinking. It formalizes something that has always been on the periphery. The studio functions as an open space for anybody to come into the creative space and participation is open to whoever is interested.

What’s the first thing you painted?
It’s the image, “Who am I?” Who am I? is the main important thing, it asks plain simple questions. If they call me Misheck is that all?

What have been the greatest influences on your work?
Just the idea of wanting to know and being able to question the simplest thing has been the greatest inspiring part. The element of curiosity has influenced me most.

Describe the steps involved in creating your works of art?
I had to look first for the basic knowledge of art and the history. I try not to engage in things that I already know and which have a pre-determined result. I try to be curious enough. Looking and analyzing are the first steps. I try to be honest with who I am. Realizing that you are not going to do much which is completely new, but you are going to going to do something that is relevant to your time and hopefully for the next generation.

What do you find most appealing about working in this medium?
I think it is a question of; will you be relevant in the future? That is the most compelling thing for me in art and the prospects of success for most artists is zero percent.

What do you find most challenging in your work?
No to be pretentious, to be really honest and genuine in the whole process.  And the hardest is to be patient for the right work to come out.

How do you promote your work?
I don’t …  I do honest work and honest work has a place in the world. My work has to be good enough. My work became more interesting even when I stopped attending exhibitions and I don’t have to be there to explain my work. If I have done it, it should be good enough.

Source: Trespass: A History Of Uncommissioned Urban Art

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