Kenneth Shandu at Nando’s Creative Exchange

Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) aims to recognise emerging South African fine artists who demonstrate exceptional ability and help them take the next steps in their careers. We spoke with Kenneth Shandu, one of the chosen local artists for the programme.

INTERVIEWED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) is the flagship artist development programme within the Nando’s Art Initiative. It aims to recognise emerging fine artists from Southern Africa who demonstrate exceptional talent. The programme provides these artists with the support they need to advance their careers to the next level.

Each year, the Spier Arts Trust selects four artists and a mentor for Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) programme, which includes mentorship, material sponsorship, and a group exhibition. The latest exhibition, The Promise, featured Lionel Mbayiwa, Rentia Retief, Kenneth Shandu, and Madeleine van Manen.

We spoke with Kenneth to learn more about his Nando’s Creative Exchange journey.

Can you describe the central theme or message in your work for this year’s Nando’s Creative Exchange exhibition, The Promise? How does it connect to your overall artistic journey? 

The central theme of The Promise exhibition likely revolves around a commitment, hope, or potential that resonates deeply with the artist’s vision and creative journey. The life that we are living today, is holding lots of promises that bring hope in our journey. Since the Nando’s Creative Exchange exhibition is designed to highlight emerging talent and the vibrancy of Southern African contemporary art, the theme might explore the intersections of personal aspiration and societal transformation. In a broader sense, this theme could connect to an artist’s overall journey by reflecting on promises made to oneself or one’s community through art such as the promise to live a better life, and equality by not excluding another group of people within a community.  

Your practice involves a range of materials and techniques. How do you decide which medium to use for each piece, and what role do they play in conveying the messages you want to communicate? 

The use of cardboard as the material in my work is inspired by how homeless people resourcefully utilise cardboard in many ways to create temporary shelters, pack their belongings, and collect them for selling to recycling companies, amongst other things. I am also fascinated by the flexibility and texture of cardboard as an art material. Through the artworks, I focus on the visible aspects of homelessness to bring the invisible to the forefront, such as time, space, and limitations. I work with what is around me. My everyday observation of activities performed by a marginalised group of people inspires me. I use materials associated with street culture, where cardboard becomes a visible material used by people in the streets.  

How has your background and upbringing influenced the themes you explore in your art, especially in the context of socio-economic or environmental issues? 

Coming from a marginalised background and from my everyday observations, I can identify with the dismissive tendencies of pretending homeless people do not exist or pose a threat to society. I believe that everyone is equal as a human being, and we should all be seen as participants in civil society. 

This year’s mentorship has been with Nkosinathi Quwe, a 2018 NCX alumnus. How did his guidance impact your work and approach to the creative process? Were there any particular lessons that stood out for you? 

It was a pleasure working with Nkosinathi, he is an open-minded person and versatile with ideas. His guidance has developed an interesting approach to my creative process. I have learned that, as an artist, you must be flexible with ideas and decisions.  

Art can often serve as a mirror to society. How do you think your work challenges or reflects the current socio-political and environmental issues in Southern Africa? 

My work intends to explore, through creative practice, how art material/cardboard can be manipulated to question our perception of economically marginalised groups in the city of Durban. I am doing that through understanding the urban space (specifically inner-city Durban) within a framework of material culture, which is underpinned by how people use material and space to define and exhibit their culture. My work further speaks to the social reality and lived experience in which people experience the ‘every day’. 

The NCX programme offers not only exposure but also mentorship and support for professional growth. In what ways has this experience influenced your perspective on the business side of being an artist? 

My position as an artist has created exposure to mentorship to understand the importance of budgeting, pricing artwork, and managing resources effectively. It also helped me connect with other artists and industry professionals and that can expand one’s understanding of market dynamics. 

Can you tell us about a specific piece in the The Promise exhibition that holds personal significance for you, and what its creation process was like? 

The artwork titled “Packaged” holds great significance for me among the pieces I have created for this exhibition.I enjoyed the process of creating that work. Starting from engaging with people on the streets, and collecting cardboard from the streets to the studio. I was so fascinated with the idea of manipulating the material. I was addressing my position as an artist through the manipulation of cardboard to bring new meanings to how as a society we view and judge each other, literally and metaphorically through the process of packaging, in the context of homelessness. Through manipulating cardboard, I was looking at how a tangible material can be used to extend or increase our knowledge and understanding (through the conceptual framing of ‘packaging’), of a marginalised group of people. The work further explores how materiality (both as a concept and as a medium) can be used to explore issues of identity and how it can be used to make the invisible visible. 

Looking ahead, what are some of the goals you have for your art career in the coming years? How do you envision your practice evolving and impacting your community or the art world? 

As an emerging artist, I will keep on developing my artistic technical skills and experiment with new mediums, techniques, and technologies to push creative boundaries. I will secure opportunities for solo and group exhibitions in galleries or public spaces, both locally and internationally. I will also create works that address societal issues and push to promote positive change in the art industry. 

Spotlighting South African Talent

Many of the artists who have taken part in NCX have gone on to great things. For example, Tafadzwa Tega, NCX artist from 2019, has exhibited in Milan, Italy, and at the Cape Town Art Fair, where his exhibition – Zumbani – was a sell-out success.

Other NCX alumni, including Robyn Pretorius, Nkosinathi Quwe (2024’s mentor) and many others, have used the programme to catapult their careers to new heights, with their works being included in various local and internal exhibitions and art fairs, such as the 1-54 Africa art fair in London, as well as selling into various well-respected collections. | nandoscreativity.co.za

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