ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Rick Baloyi is a South African visual artist. He began drawing in his childhood. He began full-time art practice in 2018, honing his skills over the years. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual arts at the University of Johannesburg. Throughout his career, he has taken part in a number of group shows with various galleries/exhibitors, the most notable of which was Young Spirits with Lizamore and associates gallery at Turbine Art Fair 2022. His work has received national and international acclaim.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My artworks honor African women and African traditions. I look into these African women and portray them in ways that disprove the stereotype of jobless women, especially single mothers. As a child raised by female guardians without the presence of a farther, I witnessed firsthand the power of women, which has informed my artistic practice. Since I have been away from home for quite some time, my works depict nostalgia or, more accurately, a sense of homecoming. My goal in using vivid colors and realism is to reach back into the mind and pull forth long-forgotten emotions and experiences by piecing together their jumbled remnants. By evoking a sense of familiarity between the spectator and the image, it is my hope that each viewer will be able to experience a distinct sense of melancholy.
