BEING ABSTRACT
by
Bathembu Ntsibaphi
5 April 2024
26 year old Bathembu Webster Ntsibaphi, also known by his street name Tilla, was born in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape. Bathembu is still living in Gqeberha where his studio or working space is also located.
Bathembu grew up in a solid family structure with both parents, mom and dad and four kids of which he is the third born. Bathembu and his two sisters and his older brother were taught from a young age to love and respect people. In their house of three women and three men, indoor as well as outdoor chores played a large part in Bathemb realizing his creative world.
Bathembu grew up as a typical township boy, fitting in well with his peers, but the one thing that always set him apart from his friends was how he thinks and analyses situations. Growing up eKasi (also known as Township) moulded Bathembu and helped him discover who he is as a human. Fast fashion trends is one of the things that also set Bathembu apart from other kids. His sense of dressing style was always motivated and inspired by what is going on worldwide and was not only confined by one space. Bathembu was regarded as a misfit from a young age because of how he dressed or looked, not realizing those where the early days of his making as an artist.
Bathembu attended township schools, from pre-school, primary school through to finishing matric. What was different was that he went to school in different neighborhoods around his township and it opened his mind to the importance of exposure to a wide variety of people. After matric he enrolled at Damelin College for a diploma in Media and Graphic Design where he learnt using different forms of art media, from hand drawing and painting techniques to digital design.
Even before college Bathembu was already practicing his art. As a child he drew a lot and entered a few drawing competitions in his primary school. Fast forward to varsity where, through studying communication and marketing, he learnt to package his art and take it to the next level.
Bathembu's art is influenced by his environment and depicts the lifestyle of being young, free and wild. He expresses emotions and feelings in his work so that it can resonate with the viewer on a personal level. His style is a mix of past history and the futuristic. Bathembu's art is based on and inspired by how he feels or what he sees at any particular moment in time and he calls himself a Freestyling Artist who is more often inspired by street art and abstract art rather than working from his imagination with no point of reference. He chooses this approach because he likes to float free when he is working rather than being restricted by too many rules.
Bathembu uses different media to express himself, fashion, painting, digital designing or sketching. The most notable technique that identifies his work is “scribble style” as he finds it rewarding to work with emotions and it also evokes a different response from different viewers who will each create a unique interpretation of the work in their own imagination.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BUYERS IN PRETORIA WILL ALSO NEED TO PAY A COURIER FEE AS BATHEMBU IS IN GQERBERHA
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