An honest exploration of the tapestry of his rural upbringing

Kwandiwa Dlwati was born in a small town called Mount Frere, located in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.

His works are an honest exploration of the tapestry of his rural upbringing where as he states – the hardships and the fragility that he experienced gave birth to and instilled in him the optimism and resilience which he know values as personal qualities that drive him and guide him to his true North.

He utilises the above mentioned qualities as the four cornerstones of his work.

Kwandiwa’s work is inspired by the personal experiences of being raised in a community in rural parts of the Eastern Cape province . These experiences traverse the emotional spectrum, touching upon, optimism, isolation, anxiety, jubilation, elation.

Kwandiwa’s work lends itself towards being a portal of sorts to a constant state of flux with regards to rural Eastern Cape and the rest of the country, continent and world, showcasing the movement from emotions such as isolation, anxiety, uncertainty to the portrayal of a sense of hope and optimism that has a forward trajectory.

His artistic approach reinforces the idea of the absolute essentiality of freedom and he attempts to showcase a technique wherein a lack of repression is the emotional experience that the viewer is left with after engaging with his work.