Walter Sisulu Sisulu fine arts lecturer Sonwabiso Ngcai says spending his childhood on Buntingville’s river banks and playing with clay sparked his interest and love for art.
Born in Ngqeleni, just more than 30km outside Mthatha, the 43-year-old followed his passion from studying fine arts to crossing paths and becoming a lecturer, and now passes on his expertise in the field to upcoming artists.
His artistic career saw him become an art lecturer/teacher in various institutions, such as Vaal University of Technology, Lovedale TVET College and Nelson Mandela University.
“Art is a gift that was known from early childhood,” Ngcai said.
“Like most children of my generation (in rural areas), I was exposed to playing with clay on the river banks.
“The making of clay cows was not only a form of expression and a reflection of culture, but compensation for not having toys, and being asked by creche teachers to draw murals and posters instilled confidence in me to understand the value of being an artist.
“Going to tertiary education was mainly to enhance and reinforce what I had, but also to develop critical thinking, skills and knowledge in how I see and interpret art.”
He said it was during his studies that he realised he was always thrilled to assist students.
“During my undergrad years, I always enjoyed assisting my fellow classmates and I realised that I was enjoying impacting knowledge on others.
“In fact, my lecturer at the time, Prof John Steele, saw potential in me and told me that I could be a lecturer one day, and that gave me more zeal to become one.”
Ngcai matriculated at Bele Zingcuka Technical High School in Tsolo in 2002.
In 2004 he did his first year at what was the Border Technikon before it was renamed the Walter Sisulu University. He completed his diploma in fine arts in 2007.
The following year he completed a B-Tech degree in fine arts at the same university.
In 2016 he enrolled for his master’s degree in fine arts at Vaal University of Technology.
Today Ngcai lectures on ceramics, conceptual drawing and printmaking at WSU.
“I started as a tutor at Vaal University of Technology while doing my master’s and as a subsequent lecturer assistant in 2009,” he said.
“In 2012 I taught art at a primary school in Orange Farm in Johannesburg. In 2013, I got my first contract as a lecturer at Walter Sisulu University.”
Over the years he has participated in numerous national art competitions, such as Thami Mnyele Fine Art Awards, Absa L’Atelier, Sasol Signatures and PPC Imaginarium (sculpture category runner-up) in 2017.
His recent accolade was being selected as the PPC Imaginarium 2019 overall winner, which came on the back of The Best 3-Dimensional Artist award he received in the Eastern Cape Cultural Awards in December 2019.
He received a merit award in the Ceramic South Africa Eastern Cape Regionals in 2021.
In April 2022 Ngcai held his first commercial solo exhibition, titled Nkomoni na?, at GFI Art gallery in Gqeberha.
He has been involved in art-related adjudication panels such as Sasol New Signatures Art Competition, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum and Eastern Cape Arts and Cultural Awards, and has recently been appointed as a judge for Ceramic South Africa Corobrik Biennale 2022.
He received a top award for excellence at the 2022 Ceramic South Africa Regional Exhibition.
“The more recent one is mentoring my student, Tandabantu Matola, to become a runner-up in the national art competition, Sasol New Signatures 2024,” Ngcai said.
“In 2022, after having my first commercial solo exhibition, I was invited to run a silk screen printmaking on ceramics by a German university in Essen.”
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