Bruno draws to empower others

Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Sunday May 7, 2023 06:00

 

He has taken it upon himself to use his skills to empower others.

In an interview with Arts & Culture, the 23-year-old Thamaga resident said his goal is to hone his skills as an artist and develop both personally and professionally in order to assist others realise their passion. He primarily works with pen drawing to produce cutting-edge artworks.

“My goal is to grow my skills both personally and professionally and utilise them in helping others develop their passion,” Bruno said. Bruno, who also dabbles in singing, acting, karate and literary art, says he knew from a young age that he was going to be an artist.



He says he fell in love with art at a tender age and that passion has grown over time, adding that he uses his art to express who he is as a person. “I'm a visual, performing and literary artist. I started doing art at a tender age in primary school and it developed with time until today. I am 100% a full time artist and very reliable. “Art expresses who I am and what I ought to be and even plays a very good role in healing when I’m hurting,” he said. Despite his many talents, Bruno explained that he chose to specialise in visual arts because of the availability of resources. However, he says he also tries to find balance to explore other talents such as singing, acting, karate and literary arts. Bruno stated he is working towards hosting his first ever solo exhibition. He said the art market in the country is unreliable which makes it very hard to sell artworks.

“This is because most customers confuse interests with passion. They would love to have an art piece but unwilling to go down with the costs and expenses because their judgement deceives them. I do a lot of commission work and sell some other artworks. But I believe there is future in art, just that as of now we as artists we are struggling to meet the right people,” he said. Bruno said there is need for art education in the country as most people do not understand what art means. He explained that sometimes customers undermine the effort that artist put in. “So undermining an artist’s work is simply hurting their feelings because that piece is an expression of how they feel,” he added.

Bruno also said local artists do not want to share their knowledge and help each other develop. He believes artists could only grow when they work together and assist each other reach their goals.