WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE

WITH HIS UNIQUE CONTEMPORARY AND GRAFFITI, SETH PIMENTEL (AKA AFRICAN GINGER) CONTINUES TO PUSH BEYOND THE CONFINES OF CLASSIC PORTRAITURE. CREATING DEPTH AND MEANING THROUGH HIS CRAFT, THE ARTIST TAKES SOME TIME OUT FROM THE STUDIO TO CHAT TO US ABOUT HIS UNIQUE STYLE AND JOURNEY BLEND OF ART, ILLUSTRATION

Unafraid to address the frenzy of the digital age, this Johannesburg-born creative has formed his own style, which can best be described as experimental; a hybrid art form that merges painting, drawing and digital illustration. With the use of deliberate, textural strokes driven by his energy and passion, Seth tackles themes of modern life, hardship, mental illness and identity - using his craft to highlight his truth on his experiences of living in a post-colonial South Africa.

ART FOR THE PSYCHE

Seth's debut solo exhibition, An Ode to Catharsis (2021) - held at Joburg's Kalashnikovv Gallery was an astonishing amalgamation of 65 original paintings on canvas and Fabriano paper. The exhibition showcased his knack for working with multiple mediums, acrylic, spray paint, ink and oil pastels. With faces obscured by an exaggeration of colour and rapid hand movements, translated through highly expressive brush strokes of emotive tones, this body of work bares testament to the young artist's inner dialogue; a battle with feelings of confusion, loss, and desolation - all interwoven with a process of self-interrogation and growth. "I've been obsessed with the human face ever since I can remember.

The first thing you lay your eyes on when you meet someone is their face. If you deconstruct the structure of the human face, it's two dots and three lines but there's something rad about them - like a soul encapsulated," he explains. "A lot happened in my life, and I wanted to just create art for the sole purpose of escaping the intensity of everything. At some point creating this body [of work] was freeing. It was cathartic. I wanted to pay tribute to that release... I want[ed] people to feel something. Hate it or love it: as long as you felt something. To me, the works in the exhibition represent growth and transition."