Simphiwe Mlangeni. From Print Maker to The Supeblur Art Movement.

Simphiwe describes himself as the “new Soweto lost generation”, referring to his mixed background and Soweto roots. Son to a father who was a sculptor and performed in a theatre, Simphiwe uses a diverse medium for his art, including sculpture, painting and print-making, as well as doing physical installations at art galleries and producing art-exhibit video clips. “Being an artist is a lifestyle,” he says, referring to his interest in various modes of self-expression.

To him Superblur is “something new, it is “what comes out of inspiration”. He paints in monochrome and what distinguishes him is the use of black enamel paint instead of acrylic, which can be tricky to work with, as it takes a long time to dry.

Family features strongly in his work. He uses trees and a tap as metaphors to capture memories from his childhood of being brought up by his grandmother, who seems to exert a powerful influence on his paintings. Simphiwe uses landscape to portray foundation of and a background to a memory, whilst he identifies himself with a tree being nourished from seed by the water from the tap, which represents his grandmother.

Vincent Mbeje. From electrician to artist.

Vincent Mbeje is a member of The Superblur Art Movement.

Vincent’s journey has led him from Nkandla in KZN to Soweto. He describes himself as “an artist in training”, having only recently transitioned from doing electrical work into the world of art. He likes using bright colours and paints in mostly Barcode – one of the signature features of the Superblur Movement.

The Barcode in Superblur has originated from the concept that in today’s World everything seems to be barcoded – products on supermarket shelves, ID cards and documents, student cards, library cards, etc. The initial barcodes were a machine-readable system of parallel lines of varying widths and spacing and this is reflected in Vincent’s work. He likes using bright colours to express his feelings.

Vincent’s colourful Barcode paintings brighten up the place – quite in contrast to the traditional black and white barcode found on consumer goods.

Vincent Mbeje. Member of The Superblur Art Movement

Vincent Mbeje is a member of the avant-garde art movement Superblur. The bar code serves as the symbol for the Superblur Art Movement and it is very evident in the art of Vincent Mbeje.

Photographs of Doornfontein Johannesburg in Superblur

The Manifesto for Superblur is as folows:

1. Supeblur refers to a method of creating art using the definition of the word blur.

2. Thus the focus o the art will be to make the object or classification of the art unclear or less distinct.

3. Superblur will also focus on elements that cannot be seen or heard clearly.

4. When photography is used with the elements of Superblur in mind the camera well be manipulated or even  shaken to blur the picture and the aim is to produce images that are similar to abstract art in painting.

5. Instead of creating art for the sake of art, elements of art movements such as Superflat, Superstroke, Cubism and so forth, will be blurred in an attempt to create art that will be known as Superblur art.

These photos where taken by Conrad Bo Superstroke, in accordance with the Superblur Art Movement manifesto.