Article about South African artist Sidwell Rihlamvu in the Rosebank Killarney Gazette
Artist acknowledges police by Alexandra Kayle
Rosebank: "It's important to give back to the community and I wanted to give something to the Rosebank police," said Sidwell Rihlamvu, an artist and Rosebank resident who donated artwork to the police station.
"This is my contribution as a visual artist, to give my art to the police to motivate them and acknowledge their hard work in fighting crime," he adds.
The artwork is in the form of a painted T-shirt, which he says represents the violent turmoil in the country. Rihlamvu's artwork led to his being awarded an art scholarship to the University of Witwatersrand. "In my work I focus on cultural differences and the violent situation in the country. As an artist, I'm always learning and I work in the media of both painting and sculpture," he said.
Rihlamvu trained at the Funda community college in Soweto and became an art teacher. He has been exhibiting since 2000. His art has travelled to Greece, Italy, France and England. He said, "In South Africa there's a sharp contrast between our crime situation and that in Europe. I grew up in Soweto, practising my passion which is art. My artwork must make a statement and many of my influences come from Europe. Johannesburg is the centre for art in South Africa. I enjoy living in Rosebank where I'm surrounded by so
many galleries."
Rihlamvu has been invited to be a guest artist in New Delhi in India and is currently looking for a sponsor.
Details: E-mail sidwell_rihlamvu@yahoo.co.uk
