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NEWS
Local Artist, Giffy Duminy, Brightens The Upper Highway
Image courtesy of Giffy Duminy
Known for beautifying various spots around the upper highway region, local street artist, Giffy Duminy, is somewhat of a legend among Kloof residents. Growing up in Kloof, he has been inspired by the local plants and animals that thrive in the lush gardens and beautiful wilderness areas of Kloof. His passion and fascination for the natural world is apparent in all the work he does. When we asked him about the motivation behind his work, he had the following to say:
“I feel a need to bring people closer to our beautiful array of biodiversity. I feel like public art is a great way to do this. Adding artwork onto boring walls of our streets creates something interesting out of nothing. It adds something beautiful that people can connect to on a personal level.
Perhaps they might see something in one of my murals and see a bird magnified into a 3 meter tall one, and later that day they may see the same bird in their garden that was in my painting, feeling connected to their place in this wide world. Through my work, I hope to bring attention to the immense beauty we have around us all the time, that sometimes we don’t take due note of or appreciate as much as we should. I feel like we need to appreciate what is around us in order to conserve it- this is my ultimate goal. To conserve and rebuild indigenous habitat for nature to thrive again.”
His Kloof Murals
Chances are, if you’re a Kloof resident, then you probably know all the spots that he’s transformed with his distinctly bright and beautiful artwork. But just in case you don’t, we’ve listed them for you:
- “Home” on village road and corner of Park Lane. This work showcases Indigenous flora and fauna and was created in collaboration with Kloof Project and Cooke Fuller.
- “Small world” which is a mural of hands, located at the Heaton Nicholls road.
- “Mind the Dassies” shows an adorable dassie family at the corner of Emolweni road and Abelia road. This work was also done in collaboration with the Kloof Project.
- “Legend of Kloof Gorge” depicts a leopard at Kloof Highschool.
- “Little bee doing big things” is situated at Fields walk road, and displays a bee on a wildflower.
You’ve probably also noticed his work at the Kloof SPCA and on a few local bridges. There’s no questioning the fact that Duminy has played a big role in keeping Kloof beautiful and uplifting the highway community, and for that we’d like to celebrate him by drawing attention to some of the local spots, outside of Kloof, where you can view his work.
More Spots To See His Work In The Upper Highway
Durban North Substation
Image: northglennews.co.za
Situated at Grosvenor Crescent in Durban North, is an eye-catching substation that has been transformed with fiery orange flowers – the crocosmia aurea flower to be exact. Working alongside Enviro Fixers Durban North , Duminy helped draw attention to the need to protect the environment by replacing alien invader plants with indigenous ones.
WESSA Treasure Beach Education Centre
Image: Iol.co.za
Stretching across the three storey tall WESSA Treasure Beach Education Centre , is a magnificent mural of a turtle. As a centre that helps educate school groups about natural environments, this work was especially close to Duminy’s heart.
While surfing at Treasure Beach – Duminy’s favourite beach – he has seen many turtles pop out of the water and has a deep admiration for these sea-dwelling creatures.
Highway Child And Family Welfare Society Wall
Image: highwaymail.co.za
The Pinetown Highway Child And Family Welfare Society proudly boast a bright red protea on their wall. Duminy had the following to say when asked about his motivation behind the work:
“I started a project called Where Did Good People Go to honour people or organisations who do good things in the community. I chose the Pinetown Highway Child And Family Welfare Society because of the wonderful job they do in assisting people and children.”
Would you like to see more of this talented young artist’s work? Giffy Duminy will be hosting his first solo exhibition at the Woza Moya Gallery at Hillcrest Aids Centre from 24th October – 20th November and 50% of his sales will go to the Hillcrest Aids Centre. You’ll also be able to get your hands on a limited hi-res print of Giffy’s famous Kloof mural, called ‘Home’. So, if you want to support a good cause and see some of his fresh and rare canvas work, then be sure to attend this exciting event.