The first exhibition of the 2011/2012 Artspace Mentorship Programme is a body of vibrant pastel works on paper and canvas. Titled Reality, this exhibition is the product of a year-long mentorship process where Pat Sithole pushed the boundaries of his own practice under the guidance of artist Francki Burger.
"My work talks about reality, I draw objects to depict the conditions in which we live. I like drawing old objects as part of representing history. I believe that history can never die because it is within ourselves and depends on us and how we handle it. It also reveals to us who we were and are today," Sithole explains his current work.
Sithole explores how people in townships relate with each other, based on his life experiences living in the township of Kwa-Thema, Springs. "The surroundings and activities that people get involved with intrigue me".
Without any formal training, Sithole has developed his own individual style of mark-making, by using soft pastel on canvas and paper. "I am captivated by the vibrancy and brilliance of colours and light. When I look at old broken objects, I see pain, suffering, poverty imposed by one on another human being but when I look at new objects full of life, I see new dispensation. I bring old objects to life in my work using colours that enable us to learn and heal from the wounds of the past."
Sithole was born in 1970 in Springs. After he matriculated at Kenneth Masikela Secondary, he enrolled at Intec College in 1999 where he studied Commercial Art for three years. In 2009 he was selected for the Sasol New Signatures competition and received merit awards for the Ekurhuleni National Fine Art Awards in 2006 and 2007.
Sithole will be also be conducting a walkabout at the Artspace Gallery in Rosebank, Johannesburg on 18 August and the exhibition closes on 29 August.
