What's New in The Haus of OOO: An Interview With Bongani Vincent
We caught up with rising artist Bongani Vincent to find out about the concept driving their work, their recently awarded Polish residency, and their thoughts on AI in the South African art landscape.
Bongani Vincent is an accomplished 33-year-old visual artist and filmmaker known for their unique, thought-provoking interpretations of reality. Hailing from Secunda, a small mining town, the Cape Town-based artist’s work has positioned them as an exciting voice in the African art world, securing SAFTA awards along with a residency and various exhibitions throughout Europe.
To the artist, each work comes from another dimension. Bongani is a vessel for other personalities from that realm named Anaah, Sen and Ruu, which form part of a multi-disciplinary collective called The Haus of OOO.
"We're really interested in dreams, we believe there is a world to be mapped in there with limitless potential. Our mandate is to map out this world-building, learn its people, culture and music," they explain.
"The three characters, Anaah, Sen and Ruu, are conduits into this world. They come from it. They are collaborators and guides for exploring the connection between mental health and dreams, and how those and our world intertwine."
Originally studying film at AFDA Johannesburg, the skillset Bongani honed there carried through to their fine art practice, which is influenced by Terrence Mallick, Denis Sarazjin and Basquiat.
"Composition and things like colour theory ring true throughout mediums. At AFDA I focused on directing, writing, cinematography and editing. After a brief stint in the advertising industry and COVID-19, painting began a solitary practice. It was a natural pivot three years ago when we were all locked inside," they reflect.
Fast forward to 2023 and the artist has put up a string of successful exhibitions, including Stolen Reveries at the Association for Visual Arts Gallery, one of Cape Town's oldest galleries. The collection was inspired by the rich heritage of African masks while utilising cutting-edge AI elements, the capabilities of which the artist is very enthusiastic about.
“What’s really exciting across the board, in all creative spaces, is what new technologies like AI have to offer the process and by extension what we see as art”, Bongani says.
“Stolen Reveries was our first foray into merging what humans and AI could achieve together. It allows for very quick decisions on framing and composition and its pre-visualisation capabilities are insane.”
Still, the Haus of OOO’s journey hasn't been without its challenges and Bongani recently had to forgo a Polish residency.
“We had a look at it once we were accepted and the travel alone would have run up to about R50 000. That’s rent for a year and they currently have no accommodations for Africans to help in this regard. Unfortunately, we had to take that loss on the chin,” the artist explains.
Bongani hopes to see more protections and resources afforded to emerging artists in future, a career path particularly difficult in South Africa.
“I want to establish an artist union that is collectively run where we can go for legal and financial support in situations like what happened to artists during the pandemic and instances where they’re subjected to shady business practices from galleries,” Bongani shares.
When asked about their career highlights and thoughts on the future of the SA art landscape, Bongani’s response is jokingly cynical but optimistic.
“We wouldn’t call it a career, rather a meandering frolic touching on different skills and disciplines”, they quip.
“So far though, there are some notable moments that have kept me going. We almost won an Oscar in 2014 for a student film. We had the honour of being selected as the South African entry for that year.“
“We got away with the SAFTA, which catapulted us to the advertising industry. We also got to shoot and direct a documentary at AfrikaBurn in 2016 with some incredible friends commissioned by Between 10and5, which is still one of my favourite works. We hope to have many more moments like these in the future”, says Bongani.
Article by: Neil Büchner Jnr