East London mall hosts indigenous plant exhibition

Vincent Park shopping mall in East London has turned into a colourful arts hub which now boasts giant murals and more in the passages.

Vincent Park marketing manager Mariaan Hartwig said the artworks formed part of the mall's art space campaign.

She said the campaign included mural artworks and sculptures, all created by local artists.

“Working with Chintsa-based artist, Lynne Price, we asked selected artists to interpret the theme ‘Bringing green to the mall: Botanical Splendor of Indigenous Flora’. Our local flora is beautiful and striking so the theme allows us to raise awareness around environmental issues, particularly the impact of pollution and damage to natural areas,” Hartwig said.

Paintings of giant aloes, a vibrant protea, beautiful strelitzias and other plants and flowers grace the walls of Vincent Park.

Shoppers will also notice the huge 3D egg-shaped sculptures on display.

These were part of the mall's 2019 VP Paints Easter initiative and have been reinterpreted by five local artists to reflect this year's theme.

The zany, innovative sculptures cover a range of themes, from pollution to water shortages and life in a village.

“The five sculptural artists are all Eastern Cape-based, and reflect the richness and diversity of our land. Their works incorporate the use of recycled and re-used materials, speaking to the theme of ‘Bringing Green to Our Mall’," Hartwig said.

She said the project's main aim was to showcase local Eastern Cape based talent — with the very welcome bonus of adding colour to the mall.

“Vincent Park has been around since the early 1970s, so community really is at the heart of our mall. Celebrating and supporting local talent is incredibly important to us, but this initiative also affords us the opportunity to enhance and beautify mall spaces. We hope that these murals bring colour and delight to our shoppers when they visit the centre,” said Hartwig.

The first of the murals- two huge botanical paintings- were completed in September by East London-born and now Port Elizabeth-based artist Nicci Swartz.

“It's an incredible project that they've got going because you walk into so many malls and they can seem generic. Once you've been in one you've been in them all and this is something that really makes the mall unique,”  Swartz said.

“Also, what an amazing way to promote  Eastern Cape artists. The support is fantastic and to showcase our work on a massive wall is just so great of them. It's a wonderful collaboration between the artists and the mall.”

Swartz has become well known for her large scale, eccentric vibrant portrait murals and she has brought the same flair and talent in creating floral murals.

She said it had been an honour to be able to display her work in her hometown alongside the talented local artists involved in the project.

“It was really special for me to come back and put my mark on East London. There's nothing like 'slummies' people and it was so nice how interactive it was when I painted the Aloes by the tower entrance.

“I had so many people come up to me and tell me the Xhosa name for the aloe and all about it's healing properties. It felt so great to paint something like this, for people to identify with my work was huge for me,” Swartz said.

The mural artists who have collaborated with the mall also include Nathan Sanan, who has filled East London with an array of urban murals, and fine artist and Lilyfontein creative arts teacher Emma Rankin.

The sculptural artists include Mziwoxolo Makalima, Yanela Jija, Barbara Manning, Blues Solombela and Dee-Ann Leach.

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