Ungoyiki
Pencil on paper
65 cm x 47,5 cm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
This art piece was a commission drawing I did for my grandfather-in-law. He gave me his old small photo that was attached to a keyring and asked me to draw the picture. I did not hesitate to start the drawing.
As the drawing provoked emotion from the start, I came up with an idea to title the artwork Ungoyiki. The name is a Xhosa word meaning don’t be scared.
As a self-taught visual artist, I was fascinated by this photo because of its perfect symmetrical shape and the confidence I saw in the face of the photo. I knew from the beginning it was going to be one of my favourite portraits I have ever done. I made a decision to scale the small photo to a bigger size during the process of creation. I made the drawing to fit size A2.
While creating this art piece, I was thinking about the stories I used to hear when I was younger, growing up in a warm family. By that, I mean I had the privilege to have a grandmother, aunt, uncle, and a younger brother from my mother’s family, even though my mother was no longer with us. When my mother left, I was supposed to stay with my grandmother, who is a sister of my grandfather, my mother’s father. I chose to stay with the family I was familiar with when I grew up.
By this art piece, I’m embracing unwavering confidence and power that operates from inner knowing that does not require anything from anyone. Looking at the eyes of this portrait, you realise the true beauty of gentleness and silence that does not roar loud like a lion. The lion does not turn around when a dog barks; it is always moving forward.
This portrait represents the king of the jungle. No matter what situation, we should not forget to be happy inside and out and look forward, striking towards our goals fearlessly.