RLABS GALLERY
The RLabs House boasts a stunning collection of mixed media artworks from across the Cape Flats. These works are rotated bi-monthly, and can be viewed on the first Thursday of every month.
To purchase any of the artworks contact the RLabs House team.
Email : house@rlabs.org
FALKO FANTASTIC
Award winning and global icon Falko Fantastic got his start in the world of street art in Cape Town in the late 1980s, before South Africa’s first democratic elections. His family was uprooted from their home in District Six in Cape Town and forced to remake their lives in Mitchells Plain. He was just 16 at the time when he was asked to paint a school wall in Mitchell’s Plain.
A symbol of our great struggle of the past, but also the struggles our communities face on a daily basis. It's when we have the ability to reclaim our power, that we can begin to move forward. This again showcases and highlights how Falko connects his pieces to their environment and brings them to life in a meaningful way and with a “powerful” message.
A young girl finds herself in a natural habitat and you see the celebration of an elephant moving there. Perhaps it showcases how we step into life? We all have the ability to correct our stride. There are so many things in life that can break our stead but it doesn’t mean we have to stop moving forward. Perhaps this is about advancement “no-matter-what?”
This space is to celebrate one of the great godfathers of graffiti in Africa, having written his first piece, all the way back in 1988 as a Westridge youth (the piece is located at Westridge High). He has since garnered world acclaim and has been heralded as one of the greatest street artists of our time. He is unfortunately unable to be here tonight as he is currently in India. These pieces celebrate our women and their strength. And above all allows us to remember the importance of the women in our country. The women we see depicted reflect the difference and diversity, specifically through the depiction of their hair. The use of hair as the vehicle for marking this diversity is rooted in the importance placed on hair by women in our communities. This is really an artistic reflection of how women think about hair. Perhaps a nod to self consciousness and celebrating the diversity that causes it (perhaps to address this self consciousness, saying “it’s okay to be who we were created to be?”).
HENDRIK LOUW
Hendrik Louw, founder of IamHendrik, is a landscape photographer based in Cape Town. His love for travel and nature is evident in his work. He uses photography as a medium to appreciate the beauty of the Cape, giving a dreamlike atmosphere to familiar settings. He hopes that the world through his lens will inspire other people to follow their dreams.
From the Cape Flats with LOVE Exhibition
Mitchells Plain was created by the apartheid government in the early
1970s as a Coloured township on the Cape Flats. Here we see the
density and beauty of Mitchells Plain.
LUSCIOUS
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SETHONE
Seth known as Seth One is a Cape Town based artist that is skilled in many disciplines such as design, illustration, photography, graffiti and street art. Mainly a mural artist in the Cape Flats, Seth’s work can be seen all over South Africa. He has been creating art for several years and has quite a reputation for his fantasy pieces of frogs and other animals. Seth often bases his work on the theme of freedom, and he focuses his time on creating beautiful murals that uplift and enhance the challenging and often crude environments that he chooses to work in. The artist plans to progress as far as he can in his form and accomplish as much as he can as an artist. He likes to quote the great Michelangelo, who once said: ”… I am still learning…”
This is the celebration of SethOne and reflects HOPE. More of his pieces can be found along the road during the walking tours. They are all centred around this concept of hope, and are depicted using various scenes that speak in a bit more detail. Although still quite abstract, his pieces offer a bit more in the way of symbolism. The symbolism he uses points heavily toward an almost quintessentially RLabs culture. Look for the references and speak about how those references help reflect HOPE.
CONFORM
Wayne Beukes is an urban visual artist who uses various mediums: vector & digital, graffiti, wheat pastes, and hand screen-printing. He goes under the alias "Conform" with his vision to bridge street art and graphic design. As a graduate in Art Direction and Design, Conform discovered his core style while he was in college around 2002. It was about bringing design elements into traditional graffiti which was a form that he pioneered being one of the few implementing this style. He has focused on developing robot characters; with a minimalist African/ South American feel. He also exhibited at a number of galleries and have featured his work around the world.
ANDRE BEUKES
known as DRONE was always into comics and drawing characters from an early age, that soon developed into his love for painting characters and Graffiti Murals.
Coming from a Graphic Design background he started experimenting with colors and different techniques using spray paint on walls, cars, posters, 3D models and screenprinting.
He also love using traditional media like pen and paper, ink, watercolor and acrylics although he do use digital media as well, mostly commercial projects for small businesses that need his help with Logos, Typeface/Fonts, Hand-drawn vintage signage and adhesive stickers.
