faith47: women, art & life

Every day is women's day.
I was raised by a single mother.
I know women. I love women.
But today, I'm allowed to speak about it. So SPEAK I will!

a heartist.

faith47 is one of the greats of our time. An urban legend in my early days; I never bothered to find out who the person was behind the art that brightened my city life, I liked the freedom to imagine.

The mystery of the graffiti artist is intriguing. It is the most distinct alter-ego artform that I know. Where the secrecy of the true identity of the artist is usually a closely guarded secret. Only the crew and graf community really know who's-who. It's like an unspoken code. Largely necessitated by the law, but also a critical component of the graf culture - anonymous messages laid out for those who wish to see, and those who see, really see.

Graffiti was a stepping-stone into my love for typography. Graf writers sometimes use such intricate typographical structures that it is like looking into a maze whilst searching for the word. For instance, in the photo (below), most people would see the african princess but not spot the faith47 typography at the bottom. It is these secret moments of appreciation that makes graffiti so cryptically unique.


I first took notice of graffiti while sitting on the train. The monotonous rolling sound of the wheels hitting the tracks puts me into a hypnotised zone and then all I do is look - out the window and absorb. In-between the cold, barren concrete walls would spring out these colourful puzzles; portals into a parallel galaxy of characters, letters and words.

faith47 is much like the angels she paints, oozing wisdom.
It is this sensitivity, sense of compassion for the atomsphere/world that makes faith47's art stand out. It comes with an energy that cares, that nurtures, that feels the joy and pain of others.

Gradually, I've seen faith47's artistry change from passive commentary to artistic activism. In the beginning her pieces spoke to me of broad concepts such forgiveness, pain, love, hope, prayer & beauty; that were missing from the world or needed to be thought of more often. But now her projects are statements.

The latest project is awe-inspiring. THE FREEDOM CHARTER.

THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN!


ALL SHALL BE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW!


ALL SHALL HAVE A SHARE IN THE COUNTRY'S WEALTH!

I just love the matchbox beemer in this photo - irony is beautiful!

This project touches me personally because my mother has an old picture of The Freedom Charter stenciled on a wall in Salt River during the 1980s - "oh! the struggle days". So it's refreshing to see another graf artist taking on this project.

Check out the 'doccie' of the project:
The Freedom Charter seems to have been politically forgotten, but it lives on in art & faith47's project will leave an imprint on the youth of today and in that way the struggle kinda continues.

Another project is the restless debt of third world beauty.


[The score by Fletcher!]

That video is deep enough. I really don't want to say much more after that.

I guess, the point of this blog post is that there is great power in feminine energies. The ability to care more for others than oneself is an alchemy & through faith47's art, I learnt this somehow.

faith47 is a urban poet & an artist who's art will not be easily erased - even if the law paints over every piece, the ripple effect goes on...

In an interview she advises women getting into graffiti (but I think it applies to ALL women):

"You teach people how to treat you… be self contained… carry mace…"
My parting question/thought: Imagine the world if women ruled..?..