An eye for detail
- Sep 16, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 27, 2022
Lwando Mjo, a South African visual artist who shares his journey of being an artist, and what has influenced the artist that he is.
Lwando Mjo speaking in an interview. [Image via National Arts Festival 2021]
By Esihle Faltein
Who is Lwando Mjo?
Lwando Mjo is a developing visual artist from the city of Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). I focus on mixed media in general form to communicate and, alert of a known factor in society not entirely based on the now but a story that has been going on for a while. I use charcoal on paper to do this. I am originally from a township called ‘Kwazakhele’ where I began developing my artistic journey. This was where I connected with most of the creatives that influenced me, with the likes of my grandfather who was a photographer, my uncle who is a creative in vast and my sister widely creative as well. My artistic development had then gained sight in my schooling career where I had been recognised by both his creative arts tutors in Primary and High School. This then gave me sight on how I could mold this gift into what it should be.
When did you start exploring your artistic gifts?
Good question, I always tend to answer this question in the worst way, mainly because it would state “When did I become an artist?” which I’d normally reply 2 years ago, answering yours though, Art has always been a general development in my life, to the very point that I happen not to be able to give you an exact certain time of exploration, but I can say it's been a development for as long as I know, first exhibition I had was back when we used to paint on A4 in pre-primary , I recall that and it was an image of my mother. The goal is to be able to be so precise with my technique that I 'unlearn' everything and get back to the painting of my mother I did in pre-primary.
Did your upbringing have an influence on your art? If so, how?
Definitely and most certainly it has, me being privileged enough to have been raised and have artistic siblings is an honour, as I had only realised quite recently the rareness of this, as I had thought this was generally common. My art focuses quite intensely on detail and that’s what I’ve always been quite interested in, and I think that’s what I have been taught as well, to see through the unseen in a way. With my photography as well I focus on the most weird things such us door knobs that have been carved and I generally love that because another artist sat down and carved a general timber door knob and that can just easily be forgotten, so my art infiltrates that and makes sure it does not go unseen. Weird I know but ,for myself at least one, I think that’s the greatness of the idea of “seeing the unseen”.
You come from a lineage that has great artistic gifts. Your grandfather was a photographer, your uncle is an artist, and your sister is a sketch artist. How does it feel to be surrounded by people who are artists?
Personally it’s a gift I can’t wait to see the following generation carry, with the knowledge and hope that I’ve also pushed to levels I wouldn’t have imagined.
Your work was showcased at the National Arts Festival this year (Congratulations), and not in the usual way but virtually. Now that we are adopting new ways of doing things, what techniques or art forms have you adopted?
Thank you very much, truly an honour to have been selected in that exhibition. I actually don’t plan on adopting any new ways at all (that’s for now of course), in a world that’s moving swiftly fast into a digital frame, I think the general human connection of an art piece and it’s viewer will never be overcome by this new virtual platform we are in. Therefore I still think gallery connections do matter, as I also plan to get everyone I know to visit art galleries as this is highly uncommon in the way we are raised. Galleries are therapeutic spaces.
Child labour, malnutrition and poverty are the themes you focused on with the art that you submitted at the National Arts Festival. Those are themes that carry great sorrow and speak to the experiences of many living in South Africa. Would you say you create art to mirror society or to enlighten?
Very true, I try my best to create art that does both of those things, in this case I wanted to focus more on stories that society might have forgotten due to being overwhelmed by such a daunting current case. I remember walking to get electricity and I’d see the same old man I saw growing up in the same position he was in maybe 10 years ago and his situation hasn’t changed and I try to frame that in my own perspective, hence the young figures I normally use.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave us more time to be still and spend time with ourselves. Would you say this time has been inspirational or reflective?
I truly admire your questions, as they allow me to express not only the good parts of my process but include the extremely heavy. This time has been quite a reflective segment that led to an inspirational break. In 2020 I had decided to rather take a break on creating as I had felt as if I had not been creating what I wanted but creating because I could. That quickly placed me in a position of me chasing what I really didn’t know, so after completing an artwork I didn’t feel like I feel today, there’s a certain knowing of what I created will definitely make someone extremely happy and that excites me more than anything, 2021 I’ve never created as much as I did this year and having people walk in my studio (which is my mom's garage) and order something they have never even seen makes me excited about tomorrow.
And last but not least what would you like to say to the viewer of your art?
To the viewer of my art, I hope you heal.
An ode to art. Drawings and photographs by Lwando Mjo.
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