Local Artists Showcase At Comic Con Cape Town

The heart of Comic Con is the artists and creators who imagine different worlds and challenge convention through their creations. As part of the pop-up artist activations Comic Con Cape Town, in partnership with Film Cape Town and hosted by the City of Cape Town, will be bringing an exciting line-up of emerging and established artists to Redemption Burgers at The Old Biscuit Mill. Artists willsketch, draw and engage with fans throughout the day.

Comic Con Cape Town has kicked off an incredible offering for fans by hosting the Streamer Connect party at ATK Arena in Cavendish, Claremont yesterday, as well as the special screening of the highly anticipated movie Dune at Ster-Kinekor, Cavendish.

Today, fans will be able to delve into the creative world of local art and artists, starting off the day with an insightful and exciting Live Draw and Interview session hosted by Ray Witcher, South African Comic writer and illustrator, where two emerging artists will face off live to create the best sketched and digital drawings.

Fans will get to meet these 10 emerging artists that form part of the Emerging Artists Programme hosted by the City of Cape Town as they share their stories and their work. Among them will be Jayde Hendricks, a 2D Animation artist and False Bay College graduate, who’s passion for drawing led him to Animation. Jayde has studied E-commerce in China, and this year he has been part of creating and designing a comic book based on COVID-19.

Kiani Moon Wellens, who works with various forms of art, spent the final 3 high school years in Germany, a gymnasium for arts and communication in Pforzheim and has been exploring the world and the nature, documenting her processes along the way. Most recently she has joined a comic book course with Cyan Development Concepts working with the City of Cape Town.

Lance Coetzee, who grew up in Athlone, complete his design studies after high school. He was since involved with creating artwork for the Robben Island Museum, he was involved with the Peter Clarke Art Centre where he assisted with teachers training classes for various primary schools, and was recently selected to create murals on Klipfontein Rd, as well as produce a cartoon in a magazine.

Joel Mamboka Nkumu, aka Kinshasa, creates work that speaks of the place of woman in society. His mixed media oil paint, African fabrics and found items, celebrate women’s work, enterprise and aesthetics above their traditionally subservient roles. A dedicated artist since his school days, Kinshasa brought his work to Cape Town, where he has exhibited at the Zeit MOCAA museum and now produces his art from a collective studio in the city centre.

Also among the emerging artists is Lelethu Fundakubi, a 24 year old artist who studied a new medium Mosaic Theory, Mosaic theory and Art History at Spier Arts Academy. Her first exhibition was at the Artb Gallery. Lelethu is obsessed with painting and drawing portraits, inspired by life in general – the purpose of her art is to create a sense of beauty. She is currently working at Open Heart studio with Xolani Sivunda and other artists.

Justin Ebengo was born and grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he studied fine arts. After graduation, he moved to South Africa to begin his life as a professional painter. His art concept “Puzzle Thoughts” illustrates how thoughts become meaningful actions and how they are pieces of a larger picture.

Ryno Cloete is a 28 year old artist from Malmesbury who has always been the voice for others through his strong sense of right and wrong and through his art. As a single parent of an 8 year old daughter, Ryno lives by expressing his daily experiences and reality through his artwork.

Other emerging artists who fans will be able to engage with include Litha Mayiya, a young visual artist from Gugulethu; Nkosinathi Kandeni, who’s passion for nature comes through in his/her paintings; and lastly Simphiwe Kaka. Simphiwe is a painter who specializes in oil on canvas, and who has exhibited at the Swiss Art expo 2020 in Germany and has had a group exhibition on Switzerland and South Africa through the City of Cape Town emerging Artist exhibition.

Shooting The Breeze Sketch Battles will also take place throughout the day to determine who the ultimate sketch artist will be. Hosted by Breeze Yoko, multidisciplinary artist based in Cape Town specialising in video/film and graffiti, the competition will see eight established artists battle across three elimination rounds until the ultimate winner is announced at 16:00.

The artists featured as Part of Shooting The Breeze Sketch Battles will include Jody-Reece Jansen, originally from Northern Cape but currently based in Cape Town. Jody-Reece, Tremendously passionate about what she does, studied animation at The Animation School and is now a Visual Development artist in the industry.

Yolisa Mbeka is an illustrator, graphic designer, and artist based in Cape Town. He is a long time comic book, anime, sci-fi,  and fantasy fan with the passion for fashion and a love for art. He believes creating is the best way of expression and that expression breeds inner peace.

Joe, aka ‘Flowrinwatr’ is an artist, curator and cultural worker based in Cape Town. They are interested in storytelling through a variety of mediums, yet primarily focused on painting and art in public space – to use the city as a space of creation for conversation and imagination.

Leigh is a dynamic self-taught illustrator/ graphic designer. Born Cape Town, graphic design and illustration have been the driving force in his life. Having started out in the graffiti/street art scene painting murals in local and neighbouring suburbs, his artwork is a combination of street art, comics and trying to find an authentic/original style, one that is evolving into a more abstract style. He has created artwork in Sweden, Denmark, Turkey and Dubai, and has worked in the clothing textile industry as print designer/illustrator for Bestseller A/S Denmark.

Chad Hanning, aka Bushy, is a Cape Town born mixed method artist focused on illustration, graphic design, animation, murals, zines and community development. Bushy’s style ranges from playfulness to satire, cartoon-like illustrations turned into entire murals in ebullient colours, fluid lines and humorous shapes.

Closing the day at the Biscuit Mill will be a Comic Con favourite. After the Live Draw and Interview session and Shooting The Breeze Sketch Battles fans will be able to engage with artists at the Drink & Draw Social Event. Fans will be able to purchase a coaster and

select their favourite artist to create a limited edition coaster by producing a sketch on it. All proceeds from this activity will go to charity.

Due to the capacity within each venue being limited to fifty percent , fans are encouraged to book their slots and purchase their tickets ahead of time on Howler.co.za as Comic Con Cape Town is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all by adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols and will be limiting all venues to regulated capacities.

Each activation will have it’s own dynamic, cost and characterisation. All information on venues, locations, and limited access can be found by visiting Comic Con Cape Town’s social media platforms or Howler.co.za.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb