Kutlo Mabua Joins The Bag Factory
Kutlo Mabua joins the Bag Factory. The 29 year old visual artist will be joining the prestigious art body in a fully-funded residency for the entire month of September 2021. The residency is part of Art Connection Africa, a cooperation of KfW Stiftung and Triangle Network to foster visual art exchanges, capacity building and informal learning activities within Sub-Sahara Africa.
Mabua hails from Mahalapye and is popular for the production of multi-disciplinary works in ink; a majrity being pointillism, charcoal and paint to broaden his visual scope of expression, with a focus of the fragility of human relations greatly influenced by identity and belonging. He has been featured in Rele, Los Angeles’Book Appointment which discussed his artwork.
The feature recognizes Mabua on a journey to “investigates displacement and disruption of the creative self. It is an artist’s personal journey of finding the harmony in the chaos of the whirlwind bringing an overflow of information- new and/or old, the introduction of new and unfamiliar styles, fast moving trends and the changes they have on his creative output as he establishes and solidify his individual identity. He seeks to explore how these impact his creative styles and direction on his route to creating works that he personally would be proud of and that his audience could connect with without losing the creative essence of his voice. To find a balance on the delicate scales weighing influence and creative identity while continuing to nurture growth and allowing it to take form. The heavily felt reflection of self not just in using himself as a subject on ‘Intrusion’ but through the use of reflective surfaces, watercolors and pointillism”
For Mabua art is more of a passion rather than a hobby. Although his history with art goes back to his junior school days, the exceptional artist treats his talent seriously and as a way of life. He further alludes his inspiration to renowned artist who commented on one of his drawing. His paintings are a refection of time and people around him as events transpire from day to day. The future is bright for the artistic Mabua who has continued to gain the attention of many even on social media through his drawings.
