Bezalel

In the noisy streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, a 12 year old boy had his eyes glued to the television that ran some foreign show called Naruto, since then he has never been able to stop watching, evidently this boy is me. As far back as I can remember, I have always adored these brightly colour...

In the noisy streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, a 12 year old boy had his eyes glued to the television that ran some foreign show called Naruto, since then he has never been able to stop watching, evidently this boy is me. As far back as I can remember, I have always adored these brightly coloured whimsical hand-drawn characters, so much so I began to create my own.
In primary school and all the way through Secondary school I would take pleasure in my summer breaks, because this gave me the chance to create these all so inspired worlds. Although being dazed in my animation fantasies throughout High school, I took Engineering and Graphics Design, this was the closest I could get to an art course, despite the drawings being strictly confined to Math and Physics, I managed to excel at this subjects. It was apparent that I had an aptitude for Mathematics and Physical Sciences , These subjects taught me problem solving as well as the restrictions of body’s on earth, I believe these skills will give me a deeper insight of how one can use multiple images to create a sense of ‘real movement’.
After having Matriculated I decided to take a gap year where I would often visit art galleries in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, by doing so I was able to soak up a lot of African based art, this allowed me to identify myself in this ‘art world’, giving me a wider perspective on how far I could take my artistry. African art was also my first introduction to fine art, so that made for a unique filter when consuming other fine art. Many types of art forms have impacted me, but the one I feel most enthralled by would be Japanese animation. During my gap year I was introduced to the works of visionaries Katsuhiro Otomo , Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata to name a few. In 2020 I moved to London to study animation, and without realising it I found myself being taken by the contemporary art that filled the city. So almost immediately I took up painting (with acrylics). I began making a series of experimental pieces that spoke of the products, conversations and culture that is consumed by the youth. I’d attend several gallery openings in London in order to feel the fabric of the city. I’d self study different artists daily while I paint.

Having to leave my birth place in order to find out what I was born to do can be seen as cruel irony, but for me I see this as an edge to tell unique and relatable stories.