SIPHELELE NKETO
A LACK of art galleries in the area of Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal has forced self-taught artist Ntokozo ‘Dr Art’ Mendela to showcase his work in the streets and directly reach an audience.
The young and promising artist developed a love of drawing when he was still at primary school where he used to draw images on a piece of paper using crayons. His talent was taken to another level during his matric year in 2022 when his work was noticed and supported by his schoolmates and teachers. He later bought a painting kit to paint on his T-shirt.
However, with no art gallery in Kokstad he eventually took his creative work to the Kokstad town to be more accessible and attract more clients. But in November last year he left the town after he experienced hardships in displaying his work.
“I left the town because there was no shelter or proper space to display my work,” he said.
He has now turned to a small corner of Thafeni to display his artistic expertise and earn a living.
Although he has not been through formal legal processes to operate at this street corner, he is looking forward to taking his creative works to a level where he will be recognised and appreciated.
