MEET ARTIST MBONGENI BUTHELEZI WHO USES TRASH TO CREATE HIS WORKS
See how artist Mbongeni Buthelezi makes beautiful creations from upcycled materials.
Mbongeni Buthelezi is a South Africa artist who is known for painting in plastic. He has exhibited all around the world, including Germany, The U.S.A, and Egypt and is growing in popularity.
Mbongeni’s love of art started from very young and soon he realised it was a passion that he wanted to pursue as a career. It’s while studying art at Funda Art Centre in Soweto that he was encouraged, out of necessity, to think outside of the box in terms of alternative materials to create art pieces.
For many years he has been using plastic as a medium, and turning old waste into something new. He’s developed a unique technique of art making using discarded plastics of certain quality in a heating process where he paints solid forms melted with a heat gun onto a thick plastic surface.
He uses his art as a vehicle to tell important stories about South Africa, shedding light on, at times, serious issues in need of attention.
More recently, Mbongeni, together with Mike Hlabangwane, were commissioned to create an artwork stretching across the wall of Joburg’s tallest building – The Leonardo. Entitled ‘Fusion’, the statement artwork reflects South Africa’s legacy.
We can’t help but admire how Mbongeni Buthelezi is highlighting problems of waste and poverty through the materials in his work, and such beauty from his ingenuity.
