In NYC: The Taxi Dance by Resoborg

INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr VIDEO via Wesley van Eeden on Vimeo

You may recognise artist Wesley van Eeden‘s (aka Resoborg’s) work from Durban’s The Boiler Room Cafe, where he created a large mural of a woman waiting to catch a local taxi. Sticking to this theme, he recently completed a new piece commissioned by Queens College in New York, as part of the institution’s “Year of South Africa”. We chatted to him about his experience in New York, as well as how this vivid artwork came about.

How did this project come about?

A couple of years ago I had an exhibition in Cape Town. A professor from Queens College in New York was in town and bought one of my paintings. We have kept in touch ever since, so when his college decided to choose South Africa as this year’s field of study, he invited me to take part.

Every year the college chooses a country to study. They bring people from across industries throughout the world to share their knowledge and experience of their country with the students.

How do you think your piece celebrates South Africa?

South Africa is full of diversity in every way, from extreme wealth to extreme poverty. You find different cultures across the country. To try capture all of this would be impossible in one painting.

I chose specific things that celebrate our country, but that also resonate with me as an artist. I am personally interested in the hand-painted signage that you see in Durban’s CBD, as well as the hair salons and pop-up shoe repair shops you find on street corners.

This organic environment is celebrated with the typography that I included in the painting. The phrase “Mission Possible” was actually lifted from a passing taxi that I saw one day. I wanted to use these words as a message of positivity about our country, that the problems we face like crime and corruption, can be transformed and overcome.

I also included the Protea flower and African patterns as metaphors for the changing seasons and growth that South Africa is going through.

Why the Taxi Dance?

The taxi is an informal association that provides a service to the vast majority of South African citizens. They are a part of the urban fabric of our cities. A South African band called BOY$IN BUCK$ actually invented a dance that mimics the nature of the taxi driver. I thought that this was incredibly unique to our country and culture and I wanted to interpret this in the painting.

How long did the piece take to complete? Were there any obstacles you had to overcome?

I was in New York for three weeks to work on the project, but in total it took about two weeks to complete. The biggest obstacle that I faced was the interaction with the students – in fact, it wasn’t an obstacle, but more of a positive ‘distraction’.

Everyone was friendly and interested in what I was doing, so there were endless ongoing conversations throughout the process. I did the whole painting in a series of panels in one of the art department’s classrooms, so a lot of students came by to watch and assist with the painting.

How has your work been received in New York?

Everyone that I interacted with loved the work, so it’s hard to say… Everyone was so supportive and friendly. The artwork is now going to be installed as part of the permanent collection at the college’s library, which I am really happy about.

Are there any New York artists you’d like to collaborate with? 

New York has so many incredible creative people that are so inspiring, but I really would like to collaborate with the artists that I met while I was there. An exhibition is being planned next year with some of the artists I became friends with, including Carolin Wood, who does incredible wood sculptures, and Mirana Zuger, who works on super cool abstract paintings.

Watch how it all came together here:

Visit resoborg.com or follow Wesley on Instagram to keep up to date with what he’s creating.