Faith47: Ephemeral Histories
The fascination of an urban canvas, crumpling walls and flaking buildings often form the basis of her work. Chosen for their ephemeral qualities Faith47 highlights the ability for buildings to reflect the stories of their past.
Faith47’s detailed images hold a narrative using language, religious iconography and symbolism to evoke a response in the viewer. Also working on traditional canvas in her studio, her work on the street allows her to take these ideas and construct a dialogue with the building, exploring various aspects of scale.
Based in Cape Town, South Africa late night youthful adventures on railway tracks saw Faith47’s practice initially take to the streets. Today her work can be found on walls all over the globe. Buildings bridges and laneways in England, China, Germany, France and the USA hold Faith47’s images.
fluoro spoke with street artist Faith47 who is inspired by the histories of the buildings she paints on.
(f) How is Cape Town unique to the other cities you have worked in?
(F47) Cape Town is an enigma. A pretentious city, it is slightly schizophrenic, hiding its chaos under layers of normality and cheer.
When you dig under the surface it is a powerhouse of personal suffering and sacrifice, gangsterism and class divide, yet also of tourism and exquisite beauty. There are so many contrasting realities moving right up next to each other, entwined and oblivious. It is a city that has confused me greatly and still I cannot say how I truly feel about it.
(f) Does the energy of the street influence you as you work?
I’m an introverted, hidden person, so painting on the streets is in direct contrast to that. It forces me to come out of my shell and interact with people. The energy and experiences can be so intense and alive, that one cannot hide in the moment. This direct personal experience is often more important to me then the artwork and is somewhat addictive, other times it can be a bore.
(f) Tell us more about the relationship between the fragility of locations you select and the messages within your work.
Ideally the location should have an old soul, one that can teach me things. This allows me to weave my own story around the one already existing. We are not machines, we are living complex beings and the marks we leave on the world reflect this. The discarded factories and broken ruins all speak of the actions and movements of the human will. What we leave behind as we trudge forward in time – that is our legacy and are the canvases I most enjoy speaking to.
(f) What role does language, text and poetry play in your work?
Words are arrows pointing at meaning. One can play with the meaning of the image with the title for instance, leading the viewer on a different trajectory to the image itself, creating multiple interpretations for one image.
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Faith47 is developing an intensive series of solo shows that will take place over the coming years, centered around a consistent theme.
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