Self-taught visual artist Ennock Mlangeni has opened a stokvel to allow his art to be widely accessed.
The 31-year-old, who hails from the small township of Mamafubedu, Petrus Steyn, in the Free State, said his initiative would run a traditional stokvel allowing members of the community to contribute a fixed amount for the whole year, only this time to get one of his original art pieces.
In an interview with Sunday World, he said he aimed to promote personal and group development while also ensuring that all parties involved were happy with the outcome.
“The stokvel is an idea I’ve had since last year, but I needed time to figure out how I can roll it out, to make sure that everyone gets everything they want. The stokvel makes it easier for art lovers and collectors to buy work over a longer time.
“It is very simple and straightforward. It’s like buying an art piece on instalments. We will start to contribute R2 800 monthly from the end of January until November. So, in total each member’s instalments will be R30 800, which is a win because they will receive an art piece worth R40 000. Each piece will have a certificate of authenticity,” says Mlangeni.
He says should anyone default, this would not affect any of the other stokvel members.
The internationally recognised artist made a name for himself after posting a pen portrait of liberation stalwart, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2017. He then won the Bic Pen Art Master National Competition in 2018.
“But it all started when I was 12 and in Grade 6, the God given gift was witnessed by my peers through my immaculate execution of drawing comic characters. I continued to work on my craft and when I was in high school my efforts and dedication ultimately paid dividends.”
Still under the tag name: “You don’t know me yet”, he made a painting of Black Coffee using coffee, and a series of coffee portraits gained him partnership with Nestlè-Ricoffy, which exposed him to international spaces such as Uitstalling Art Gallery in Belgium.
He says time has arrived for him to bring the exhibitions to his home country. He believes this dream is possible if the stokvel is a success, allowing him to bring the long-anticipated exhibition to his Johannesburg-based studio at Ellis Art Building.
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