Meet eShowe’s new media artist
Strike a pose alongside the artwork of Zululand's young new media artist, Simphiwe Xulu.
EMBRACING new age trends, eShowe’s new media artist Simphiwe Xulu (28) is a lover of art and all things ‘selfie’.
The media and fine arts graduate of eShowe, who also holds a qualification in art direction, has initiated a ‘selfie artist’ concept.
A ‘selfie’ is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.
Simphiwe’s twist however, are selfies taken with artwork.
‘I needed to make new art for the world and it was a small way for me to investigate themes of pop culture and ‘the self’ using digital art.’ he said.
‘It manifested into the ‘#Selfie25’ concept, which is an abstract personal commentary on the modern phenomenon on the selfie culture, and is one of South Africa’s first fully interactive digital exhibition projects.’
Simphiwe’s work has been exhibited at the KZNSA Art Gallery and the Menzi Mchunu Gallery at the BAT Centre in Durban.
‘One of the foundations of art is the self-portrait. All great artists have been interpreting ‘the self” since the beginning of time, so I think the phenomena of the self has always been there in any medium. I just tried to explore it on a digital platform.
‘I took my first selfie in 2007 at varsity wearing white glasses I bought from a street vendor. It was less artistic practice then and more about youth, vanity and idiocy.
As a chronic hermit, Simphiwe spends a lot of free time watching art films.
PHOTO: MANDISA BUTHELEZI
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