Vela Projects

On Exhibition

• 'Rainmaker' by Samson Mnisi -

  'Rainmaker' by Samson Mnisi

  Rainmaker marks the first occasion that Mnisi’s work has been presented in a solo exhibition since his death in 2022.
  
  For Mnisi, subject matter and material were secondary to the insatiable desire to produce. “The need to produce, the desire to create, is what moves the artist,” he said. “Some young artists asked me what makes an artist and I said, a decision followed by production. First you have to decide to be and then produce to be. You can attend the best schools of art and be the most talented student, but if you haven’t decided and you can’t produce, you simply won’t be able to.”
  
  The fact that Mnisi passed away in his studio the day after the joyous grand opening of his solo show at Keyes Art Mile, titled Man Of The Hour, is testament to this fact: Mnisi lived for his art, and he loved each and every one of his pieces. “I fell in love with them,” he once said. “And if everyone who sees them falls in love with them, then that will fulfill the purpose of the pieces.”
  
  The exhibition is on display from 14 February to 22 March 2025.