Cape Town - An internationally renowned Cape Town artist, who is collaborating with other artists in his field, is on a mission to paint a 100-metre mural in a community plagued by poverty, gangsterism and crime, and to create awareness about the ocean.
Rizah Potgieter also known as Prefix66, 38, is from Westridge, Mitchells Plain.
His murals are common sights in and around Cape Town and he is known as a master artist who specialises in visual arts.
His art pieces have achieved international recognition since he was invited to prestigious galleries in France, Germany and Dubai.
Potgieter's mural art is displayed in these countries and he has over 20 years' experience.
“I have been doing murals with meaningful messages all over Cape Town and surrounding areas, targeting the areas with scarcity of education, with my organisation SM-ART (Supporting Mentorship Through Art),” he said.
He was previously voted number one artist for the Artivism Mural, which had the theme of “Global Climate Change Awareness”.
That mural was painted on a community house in Salt River, and depicts the effects of climate change on Earth's living creatures.
Potgieter said the idea of his latest project, which is being painted along AZ Berman Drive in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, was to create awareness about the impact of illegal dumping and pollution on coastal communities.
“The mural clearly shows a guardian of the seas or oceans, and conveys a message to people, to be reminded that they can also guard and protect their environment and oceans,” he explained.
“The human figure is pointing towards the nearby False Bay coast leading the oceanic creatures to a better environment.
“This particular mural depicts each oceanic creature in depth so people can understand what is actually living in the ocean and how illegal dumping and littering affects it.
“I have used various styles, including realism, tattoo style, abstract and minimalist styles, such as silhouettes, in this mural.”
He said executing this detail on a large scale would be a learning curve for him and other artists involved.
They aim to complete it “in the weeks to come”.
“I started this project in November last year, and this is the longest mural of its kind in Cape Town.”
Potgieter said he had a long-standing working relationship with the City and had done most of their large scale murals.
Artist Mikail Ernest Bell, who is collaborating on the project with Potgieter, said they had received amazing support from their sponsors to make a dream become a reality.
“With our sponsors, Artbridge Projects in New York, AkzoNobel and Hamilton's Brushware, we aim to transform the wall into a living ocean of blue and green which will be more than 100 metres in length,” he said.
“Through this mural, we want to draw people's attention to the importance of our marine resources.
“It's also to teach our children about our oceans.
“The first thing murals do is add colour, it heals and it inspires, and it allows people to dream.”
Zeenat Isaacs, who is the founder of SM-ART, has been nominated for the DearSA Young Leader Award 2024 in the Sports, Culture and Environment category for the work she does in her community.
She is also working closely with Bell and Potgieter.
“I feel art represents life in many ways,” she said.
“When community members see themselves reflected in Rizah's murals, in social spaces, they feel a sense of respect, allowing people to identify with the place they are from, live in, or are visiting.”