Although the colourful paintings of colourful birds on Chamberlain Road in Berea lights up the grim grungy cement wall and makes passersby gaze in awe, the man behind the painting, Nathan Sanan, 32, says it is just mindless beauty.
The architect at Imbono FJA Architects, who hails from Port Elizabeth, said the default setting of the general public was anger and negativity and this mindless beauty was his way of fighting that.
“I have a full-time job, so this is just something I’ve always loved to do as a hobby. I have always loved to create and beautify spaces that are perceived as otherwise. No place is ugly, everything has beauty, it is the mindset that is ugly.” he said.
Sanan said he would love to be given an opportunity to beautify the Buffalo City Metro bridges and spaces within the CBD.
“I drive past the bridges every day and people could see beauty when they pass by. Imagine moments like those throughout the city. My plea is for bigger painting opportunities at around relevant spaces in the hearts of this city,” he said.
Although Quigney’s Ekhaya Eziko butchery is resplendent with faces of a family matriarch and Frere Hospital’s new paediatric orthopaedic ward has also been embellished with his work, Sanan said he doesn’t want to call himself an artist.
“I sign all my paintings “N/A”, meaning “non-applicable”, because I believe the creator is irrelevant. What is relevant is that something has been created,” he said.
“There’s no correct way to interpret my paintings. I want pPeople must to be free to interpret it however they want. The feedback is almost completely positive, which shows that the public recognises and is accepting of beauty and my intentions,” he said.
Sanan’s work can be seen on Instagram on @na041art and he can be contacted on nathan@sanan.co.za.
