Young Capetonian artists market themselves
by Kresta Tyler Johnson
'Bateau Laveau' is a name assumed by a young group of six Capetonian artists who have found that by combining their various strengths they are more prosperous than alone. Since coming together in 2002 and forming a collective, they have been able to pool their resources and develop as artists.
In the short time since their formation, they have gained recognition on the international art stage and were recently participants in an exhibition in Miami that coincided with the publication of The Art of Bateau Laveau by Paul McCabe and Hazel Friedman. The six artists that currently comprise the group are Charles Kershaw, Bevan Davis, Rhafique Fortuin, Thembinkosi Kohli, Bongani Mohapi and Thembinkhosi Mzinzi.
Based at a studio in Paarl, their work is stylistically diverse but all share the common desire to create art, and become part of the contemporary art scene in South Africa. They seem to have pointed themselves in the proper direction to succeed.
