Awelani Mainganye from Mpheni Block A is establishing himself in the world of art by adding a splash of colour, not to canvases but to personalised items, such as shoes, clothing and refrigerators. His goal is to challenge traditional fashion norms and produce original, eye-catching designs.
Awelani's artwork certainly is unique, infused with warm, vibrant colours. His artistic pursuits can be traced back to his early primary school days at Muthuhadini Combined School, although, he lost his enthusiasm for it for a while because of the lack of art classes offered in public schools.
In 2017, he successfully completed his matric and enrolled for a management-assistant course at Ekurhuleni West College in 2018. He dropped out in 2019 after he got a job as a data capturer at Wits RHI in Johannesburg, a multi-disciplinary research institute. While he worked there, he decided to buy himself a few brushes and paint and started painting T-shirts in his spare time. This, he said, had been inspired by his high school classmate Thinandavha Mukondeleli.
"When I painted my first T-shirt, it attracted great interest from people around my community. I am grateful for Thinandavha, who played a crucial role by teaching me the basic skills of painting, and my clients for their support," he said.
Awelani later expanded his skills when he started decorating refrigerators and shoes with his artwork as well. For this he uses acrylic paints in many different colours. Once he is done painting a refrigerator, he covers the surface with a varnish, so that the paint does not wash off.
The young artist is currently in the process of enrolling for an art course at the University of South Africa (Unisa). He expressed his desire to eventually open his own art school where he can hold workshops to share his knowledge and inspire others who are interested in art. "My goal is to educate local people who love art and help them to sell their artwork online. I want to not only benefit myself, but also share my knowledge with others," he said.
For more information on Awelani's work, contact him on 079 432 5646.