 Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa
TheAntsNest.com/Graffiti was invited to participate in a week long art event at Abbotts College in Pretoria East.
The theme of the event was STREET ART and internationally recognised Graffiti Artist "Mak1One" and Founding Director of TheAntsNest.com, Anthony Scholte, flew to Pretoria to join in numerous activities that the school had planned for their "Art Week".
Mak1One was invited to conduct a Graffiti Workshop for the Abbotts Students as well as produce a large scale Graffiti mural and Anamorphic Pavement Art chalk drawing in the basement cafeteria of the College.
Most people now days have an understanding of what Graffiti is - even if it is largely a "misunderstanding" - but Anamorphic Pavement Art (although around since the 16th century) has, thanks to the internet, only recently gained commercial popularity and wide-spread public awareness.
Anamorphic Art is usually done by drawing with chalk on a pavement or floor. The "art" or skill comes in when the drawing is distorted to such an extent that the image/artwork is only clearly visible from ONE view point and every other perspective looks completely distorted.
A common example of this are the logos painted onto a sports field. On television they appear to be printed perfectly across the screen but in reality (down on the field) the logos are completely distorted/stretched across a vast area - so to compensate for the angle of the camera and the lay of the field/canvass.
Julian Beever (view samples of his work below) is an artist who has gained massive recognition over the last few years - thanks to the internet! His artworks can take weeks to complete, where in this case, Mak1One only had 1 evening to finish an example of Anamorphic Art for the school - so his work was not nearly as detailed as a Julian Beever masterpiece, but succeeded in wowing the students regardless.
Scholte and Mak1One were also guest judges of the Abbotts final year art students` exhibition - where they we`re most impressed by the exceptionally high standard of work produced by a school renown for its outstanding academic results more so than its art achievements.
In conjunction with the Graffiti Workshop & Exhibition involvement, TheAntsNest.com facilitated a talk on Following Your Dreams By Starting Your Own Business / The History of TheAntsNest.com and The Story of Mak1One - his life journey from the ghettos of Cape Town, to the top of the Graffiti Art genre in South Africa!
Mak1One "left his mark" on the school, in the form of a huge mural! His mural was not just another work of art by the local hip-hop celebrity, he also arranged for all the young inspiring graffiti artists in his workshop to contribute to the artpiece - this result in a beautifully colourful mural that will grace the walls of Abbotts College Pretoria for many years to come.
The art week was thoroughly enjoyed by Students, Teachers and TheAntsNest.com representatives alike!
Congratulations to Andries van Renssen, Principle of Abbotts College, Pretoria, for having the vision to create such a successful event - and for seeing and appreciating Graffiti as ART rather than vandalism..
"Teachers with enthusiasm and open minds like Andries van Renssen, will mold the youth of South Africa, to create the all-accepting, positive nation that we`re destined to become! I hope the kid`s at Abbotts Pretoria realize how fortunate they are to have a principle like Andries" ~ Anthony Scholte
Thank you to Andries and his team at Abbotts for inviting TheAntsNest.com into their school.
If you would like to arrange a similar type event, please POST A BRIEF on TheAntsNest.com and we will contact you!
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