Ennock Mlangeni wins 2018 Bic Art Master competition

Young artist, Ennock Mlangeni is the winner of the 2018 Bic Art Master talent search.

Over 700 entries were submitted from all over the country, attracting over 62,500 votes. All entries were loaded onto the Bic website with the public voting for the top 20 finalists. The final three winners were selected by a Bic judging panel.

The Bic Art Master talent search is an annual competition encouraging artists to create artwork using Bic stationery. Mlangeni said he has always worked with Bic pens and coloured pencils. “They were all I could afford while growing up, so it suited me, I was working with the equipment that I always had,” he said.

His passion for art started at a young age

Mlangeni’s passion for art started at a very young age. He was orphaned by the age of six and was brought up by his grandmother in Zamdela township, Sasolburg, along with his brother and 10 cousins.

While at primary school, he used to watch Dragon Ball Z, a Japanese animation series, and draw all the characters. His grandmother would tell him to stop drawing and focus on his school work, but as he got older she realised that he had a genuine talent and encouraged his art. She is 75 now and retired, but she worked her entire life as a dress designer and seamstress and Ennock believes he inherited his artistic ability and flair from her.

© Ennock Mlangeni.

© Ennock Mlangeni.

© Ennock Mlangeni.

He attended the local school, Nkgopoleng High, where art was not offered as a subject, but this did not stop his enthusiasm. “The school recognised my ability to draw and encouraged me to enter the local Science Exhibition where I won first prize in the art section in grades 10, 11 and 12. This helped my family tremendously as the money was used to buy school items for my entire family,” said Mlangeni.

Here, Mlangeni shares more about where his inspiration comes from.

What made you decide to enter the competition?
I entered the competition because I have been using Bic pens since I was young and I wanted to build up my portfolio as an artist.

Tell us more about your artwork that won.
The art piece is inspired by the life and times of our struggle icon, Winnie Madikizela Mandela. We learned so much about her contributions to the struggle only after her passing. She is one of the most inspiring women and the first wife of our global icon, Nelson Mandela.

© Ennock Mlangeni.

What inspires you?
I draw inspiration from my life experiences but my work is mostly influenced by female characters as I was raised by my grandmother after losing both my parents. My childhood was very difficult and all the challenges I went through made me view a female character differently as my grandmother made sure that there was food for us, even if it was just one meal a day.

What will you be doing with the prize money?
The plan with the prize money is to get more materials as I am planning on doing a series of new works and one gigantic pen work, something that has never been done before.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
Owning a huge art studio where I will develop young and upcoming artists.

Well deserving winner

“Being able to reward excellence is important for Bic,” said Karen Moodley, brand manager at Bic Stationery: Southern, East and Central Africa.

“The 2018 edition of the Bic Art Master competition exceeded our expectations and we were impressed with the creativity and quality of entries we received, all submitted purely illustrated using Bic products, including Bic ballpoint pens, the graphite range of pencils and Bic Kids colouring. Ennock is a well deserving winner and we wish him all the best and we are proud to play a part in boosting his future career as an illustrator.”

Other winners include:

• Second prize - A Nikon Camera bundle worth R8,000 (won by Willie Delport from the North West)

• Third prize – A Bic Artistry Kit valued at R3,000 (won by Sugasha Govender from Gauteng)

• The other 17 finalists each received a cash prize of R2,000