Thesis Introduces to you Abolova
Introduce yourself to our audience.
Abolova is an art collective from the kasi that draws inspiration from abo lova, the lost boys without a story. the abolova collective represents the untold stories of the unemployed black youth, the guy from the corner store, the guy from back home, the drifter, the broke boy, the guy who makes a plan.
What era do your mostly identify yourself with? 60s/70s/80s/90s/00s?
90s. the 90s style take on style and music was unmatched. Everything that came out of that era is timeless
What got you into photography?
We knew it was important for us to explore different perspectives and photography became the medium in which we could do that. We wanted to find ways to express ourselves and acquire new skills at the same time, so it was definitely a challenge. The collective's style rejects all traditional practices, much like the concept of ‘ulova’ who is perceived to be so disconnected from the world, the world also has no idea what he is capable of and how he thinks. We embrace grainy textures, harsh lighting and unconventional colour grading. We are style, we are different, we are hope, we are optimism and most of all, we are breaking the mold. What is perceived as bad photography to some is really a challenge for the viewer to see our world from a different perspective.
What’s your daily practice?
We are a collective of six members who all each have our own lives, jobs and responsibilities. the collective is our escape from our daily lives, when we come together we always try to create something new or find a story to tell in what is happening around us. No day is the same.
How do you feel about SA currently? Are you positive about the current administration?
As the youth of South Africa, we have so many things stacked up against us and it really is our responsibility to make the best out of our situation. We need to break the cycle of dependency on the current administration and really change things for ourselves from a grass roots level. It starts with empowering ourselves, and then our communities. We are fully capable of finding creative solutions to our problems.
Current favourite song?
We can’t all decide on one favorite song, but we can all agree that we have an emotional connection to Kaytranada - vivid dreams in fact the whole 99,9% album is just a vibe for us.
Where would you have your last meal?
Right in the middle of our Kasi, it will be a huge feast and we will invite everyone. We love the idea of sitting together with everyone we grew up around. I don’t think there’s really a way to capture moments like that.
Invite 5 people (dead or alive) to your last breakfast?
Messi, Steve Biko, FKJ , bear grills, Hitler – I think we would have a lot of questions.
10.What needs to be done to change the face of townships?
I think having access to free Internet would change a lot of things and have a positive impact. We also need establishments for kids like community centers where kids can go after school to do their homework or take part in a sport or hobby. I think kids need to believe that they have the support to be the best that they can.
Best advice you can give to your peers?
Let’s stop waiting for things to happen to us, we need to actively go out and make things happen for ourselves. We need to support each other and find more sustainable ways to create wealth.
social media accounts ?
twitter: https://twitter.com/naba_abolova
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naba_abolova/