Durban - A new exhibition has opened in Ballito featuring some of the artwork and craft of the NGO Favordot Intl: a group of teenagers making art in a South Beach flat to help support their families and complete their studies.
They make Ottomans and coffee tables from recycled tyres to pay for education, glasses from Red Bull bottles, and earrings from wool and fabric, among other things. Their products are on display at The Gallery in an exhibition Untethered, which opened last weekend.
Model and fashion designer Favor Owino is the force bringing the children together, organising a series of projects to keep them engaged and give them skills and a future. The dramatic yellow pom pom earrings she is wearing she made herself.
“It started four years ago basically doing different projects to make a difference in our community. Because of our environment ‒ there's drugs and teenage pregnancies and a lot of things happening in South Beach ‒ I thought it important to empower these young kids. Many are raised by a single parent, and there’s a harsh life around them. I could mentor and help them face the challenges they face at home. They need to do something with their hands to earn an income,” she said.
Initially, projects included gardening. “We would plant vegetables, but the sandy soil was not good, so during lockdown, we came up with recycling items. We started with tyres and making Ottoman tables. Some of the kids are into arts and draw and put their items online. It has really inspired them, broadened their way of thinking and made them feel like their life has some meaning,” she said.
Celine Meta tells how the project had lifted her physically and spiritually. She tells how her family of 10 was devastated when her father suffered a leg injury and could no longer work, and her mother became the sole breadwinner. She said the group had given her the self-confidence and energy to identify skills and assist her family. “We all help each other,” she said.
Her sister Pamedi has learnt to braid, and the skill not only allowed her to assist the family but was financing her studies and her science textbooks.
For Patience Mutombo, the man behind the Ottoman project, youth empowerment is crucial. A shy young boy is simply persuaded to show us his sketch pad: a portrait of Owino. The collective is a place where his art has flourished, his skill evident.
Owino, a chef by training, started the project because growing up in Kenya, “she was a very lonely child”.
“A lot of influences made me move in the wrong company. There was no one to talk to me and direct me, so I grew up detached. I came to South Africa six years ago and went through a lot, making all the wrong decisions. I couldn’t allow any child to go through what I went through, so I started gathering the kids. I’ve always had that passion for the kids. They have to make a difference in their lives, believe who they are, have a purpose.”
The Ballito exhibition is the second featuring the collective. The first was at the KZNSA. “The kids are excited about it ‒ it has given them so much confidence,” Owino said.
For artist and exhibition curator Jane Digby, their work is “amazing”.
“The timing was perfect. Favor contacted me. I choose artists by gut feel, and if it resonates, I go for it, and so was happy to include a space for her.
“The children are amazing and made me so proud. I only met them on opening night. They believe in themselves. And there’s no pity. They’re just proud of what they’re accomplishing.”
Digby intends to work with them to help fine tune the designs. “Some need a little refining, but that’s easy, and there’s no extra cost. It’s contemporary but African and could be included in contemporary or classic interiors, small spaces or big, indoor or outdoor,” she said.
The theme of the exhibition talks to freedom on so many levels said Digby. “This exhibition will entertain, intrigue and entice, creating conversation and inspiration.”
Other artists include basket weaving from Zinthle Msweli of My Basket Shop. There are bronzes by Sarah Richards and Seth Falconer and wooden sculptures from Peter Wink.
Ceramicists include Phumlani Nwayo, the Dlamini Collection, Samantha Pitout and Corrie Hook, while Mervyn Dragsund presents his range of no-mess, no fuss, flat-friendly pets in a range of funky colours.
Artists include Digby herself, along with Nikhil Tricam, Bron Stofberg, Janine Jollands, Guilia Forman, Kim Periera, Anne Schwankhart, Jane Oliver, David Wachania, Michelle Kruger and Claire Denaire Souffiet. Gift Dlamini is a featured artist showing his portrait paintings painted on newspaper.
The exhibition will include interactive areas for self-expression, encouraging visitors to share their responses to Untethered. There will also be a people’s choice vote, where all can share which is their favourite art piece.
The Gallery is situated in the Lifestyle Centre, Ballito. Opening hours are 9am till 5pm. Call 072 245 8691 or 082 486 2126.
The Independent on Saturday