THE BABY BASQUIAT STORY: ARRIVAL OF JIM JAM
By Sabelo 'Mary Cain' Sithole
Dear Sir/Madam of future centuries...
The Baby Basquiat Story begins with a new name, JimJam. Neo-expressionist Vusi Tembe tells a story of re-awakening his senses through painting, a 'sport' that he only began in 2017.
At age 16, Vusi experiences what feels like a breaking point when his mother becomes awfully sick with Leukemia. This is a time when he figures he has 'too much to say and not enough words to say it in'.
Soon thereafter, he is introduced to two artists that he describes as eccentric and super-electric with raw energy, know no limits and are non-apologetic.
Fela Kuti and Jean-Michel Basquiat redefined the artistic journey for JimJam as they taught him one lesson in particular:
"That art isn't about anything else but setting yourself free".
Seeing this new 'open space' in the art world has shown itself to be a remarkable twist in Vusi's life as it sees him through from being someone who thought of Fine Art as the only art form, to one who explores the very depths of it.
Vusi uses painting to capture his thoughts and keep a measure of where he is in his life and mind states.
'I paint to capture my emotions. I don't think I paint to express what I feel, I paint to understand what I feel.'
Being a part of a generation where nobody wants to keep in touch with how they feel or let alone FEEL, he needed to find a way to keep track of who he is.
Some people describe their artistry as way of expressing themselves and as a way of sharing their minds with others, but to JimJam its about being able to paint a picture of his mind without having to filter anything out. He says it is entirely central to who he is.
'In the ancient world Art was a form of communication... it was a language that people could read. I pray you too will be able to read this message.'
Dear Sir/Madam of future centuries...
Century's ago artists were considered scribes of God. This is a story of a God-sent scribe who came to speak and record our Truth - Through art.
At age 16, Vusi experiences what feels like a breaking point when his mother becomes awfully sick with Leukemia. This is a time when he figures he has 'too much to say and not enough words to say it in'.
Soon thereafter, he is introduced to two artists that he describes as eccentric and super-electric with raw energy, know no limits and are non-apologetic.
Fela Kuti and Jean-Michel Basquiat redefined the artistic journey for JimJam as they taught him one lesson in particular:
"That art isn't about anything else but setting yourself free".
Seeing this new 'open space' in the art world has shown itself to be a remarkable twist in Vusi's life as it sees him through from being someone who thought of Fine Art as the only art form, to one who explores the very depths of it.
Vusi uses painting to capture his thoughts and keep a measure of where he is in his life and mind states.
'I paint to capture my emotions. I don't think I paint to express what I feel, I paint to understand what I feel.'
Being a part of a generation where nobody wants to keep in touch with how they feel or let alone FEEL, he needed to find a way to keep track of who he is.
Some people describe their artistry as way of expressing themselves and as a way of sharing their minds with others, but to JimJam its about being able to paint a picture of his mind without having to filter anything out. He says it is entirely central to who he is.
'In the ancient world Art was a form of communication... it was a language that people could read. I pray you too will be able to read this message.'
Couple questions,
ReplyDelete1. Where can we see more of the art pieces?
2. Are any of them for sale?
Hi, thank you for commenting. The event (Exhibition) will be on the 7th of December 2019 and the piece will be for sale ranging between +- R10 000 - R 50 000.
ReplyDeleteThis has been amazing to digest, I was captured
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you so much. We'll have more posts in a few days.
Delete