DECORATED Queenstown visual artist Siphiwo Ratsibe is determined to make a change in town by sharing his talents with aspiring artists. Ratsibe started the Queenstown Art Foundation last year with the aim of uniting local artists.
“It was started with the purpose of bringing artists together and to establish projects that will be designed to empower artists with more knowledge and skill, but most importantly with finances.” Ratsibe dreams of building a state-of-the-art, contemporary art gallery that will run all kinds of projects to benefit the artists.
“In 2013 I met a man who owns an Art Gallery in Chicago (USA). He said to me that a year ago a friend of his bought a painting for R2500 in Johannesburg and took it to the US, and sold it for $90000 – that’s more than R1-million today. Imagine if that painting was sold through an art gallery and the artist received half of the money.
Ratsibe believes tourism, which has been identified as a key economic sector in South Africa, can help boost the local economy.“My dream is not only to build a gallery that will help visual artists, but one that will be combined with a 2000-seat theatre. “We need to consciously create an environment that promotes tourism. From the way we construct our buildings, to our flea markets and street performances.”
His passion for community development does not only end with his artwork. Ratsibe also started F500 Club, a disaster and poverty relief organisation that aims to help fight poverty and human suffering. “We have just finished drawing up a proposal to provide child-headed homes and needy homes with food parcels every month. This is a project I am passionate about because I have always wanted to do something about the poverty I see around the world.”
