13 May Meet the Artist – Mninawa Qabo Louw
Mninawa Louw Qabo was born on 21 July 1998 in Groote Schuur, Cape Town. At age 6 his family moved to Hermanus permanently.
He became interested in art at age 15 when art classes at Qhayiya Secondary School in Hermanus gave him the opportunity to explore art through books and creative projects they had on offer. Not being able to finish his high school education due to a family trauma, and having to suddenly take responsibility for all his siblings, he went to work at a grocery store as a packer.
Inside him grew a seed of creativity, and he realized in 2017 that he wanted to create. Four of his friends and him started to create fashion shows and events to entertain and educate the youth, with the focus on discouraging gangsterism and and to offer alternative options of positive living.
He visited a friend that was busy embroidering as a hobby, at a time when he was struggling to find an outlet for his personal creative process, something to do that would give him an individual entity. He enjoyed it from the first time he started embroidering, and found the timeline and procedure perfect for his lifestyle. He started exhibiting with two at the RDP (recreation and development project) House in Zwelihle and sold one. With those funds he bought more material and created four works. He directly marketed them in the centre of Hermanus and sold two of the works. Another four works later he met Jozua and also an artist Christa Clark, that started helping him developing his style.
Mninawa produce embroider works on hessian cloth with subjects inspired by hos surroundings. His stories are intense and revealing.
