February 2, 2018

This is Mbongeni Buthelezi: Using Discarded Plastics to Create Brilliant and Vibrant Paintings.

Using discarded plastics of a certain quality in melting process, he paints in impastors solid forms burnt with a heat gun onto a thick, roofing-plastic surface. He has created a new form of paint, a so called plastic painting. His unique paintings are often larger than life. He is able to work realistically and abstractly, with the technique being extremely detailed.

“MBONGENI BUTHELEZI: SUGAR TAX | 1ST TO 21ST JUNE 2017″


Sometimes, the artist uses as many as 5,000 pieces of plastic to complete a single piece. “I consider colour. I consider the text sometimes that I get from these materials, because in a sense it brings a very interesting design element into my work. “I play around with it to come up with whatever message that I want to bring forward.” Initially, his technique was questioned by many people. “I kept on getting asked by my colleagues whether I thought there was any future in the technique I was using. “I never doubted myself though. I insisted on pushing it and making sure whatever challenges I get faced with, I will manoeuvre my way around. “My family also kept asking me how I plan on making a living with an art technique that was non-existent. “Today I look back and I’m really glad I stuck to my guns.” Not only is Buthelezi’s art one of a kind, but his artwork helps protect the environment. “At first, I didn’t even think that by using waste plastic I would be contributing in helping the environment. “People kept telling me that you are doing so much of good for the environment by putting good use to waste plastic. I’m thrilled.” These days, Buthelezi no longer needs to sift through garbage at his local dump site for materials. “Companies like Coca-Cola set aside plastic for me to use. I go there once a week and fill an entire van with plastic. “I’m very grateful to these companies for allowing me to put the plastic to good use.” Buthelezi hopes his artwork will serve as inspiration. “I want people to respect this form. In a way, my artwork is like a message that I’m trying to convey to my fellow human beings to say I’m trying to give hope to those that seem hopeless. “Even if you have nothing in your pocket, you can still try and fiddle around and see how you can possibly hit the right buttons, stand up and move forward as a human being.” Source: IOL

Website: Mbongeni Buthelezi  + Sugar Tax Show Catalogue


“I now have 18 different techniques, each of which have subtle differences from the other. The material can be applied to large ‘brushstrokes’ in many colors, or sepia-toned where layers of neutral shading create visual depth and subtlety or applied linearly.”