Maximise Expression

Mcedi Madolo appreciates the physical satisfaction that comes with creating art

- Bruce Dennill

What sort of training have you received and how important do you think it is to seek training, in terms of learning first principles and refining technique?

For me, it started with arts and crafts classes in primary school. After high school, I went to study fine arts at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and finished off my studies at Walter Sisulu University in East London. Training, like with any other profession, is a must, more especially in the fine arts. You need to know and understand the rules in order to be able to break them. With that said, I’ve come across some brilliant self-taught artists like Nokwanda Themba and Atang Tshikare. These artists prove there isn’t just one way to skin a cat. The benefit for me was that formal training gave me the time and space to fail and learn from my failures. Going into the real world of art, I was much more prepared.

What is your principal medium, and why did you choose it?