From overseeing a parking lot to being the reason people fill it, an incredible car guard artist is making his mark on the Constantia community.
Once a refugee‚ then a shopping centre car guard‚ now a landscape painter under the tutelage of his idol. Eric Karangwa has had an unlikely journey.
The 33-year-old Rwandan artist‚ who has spent a decade fleeing political violence in central Africa‚ will hold his third solo exhibition at the Constantia Village shopping centre at the end of the month.
When his family lived in refugee camps from 1994 to 1996, he found artists there and watched them work.
He loved sketching as a child and fostered his passion for art as he moved from country to country as a refugee.
“The more I kept on meeting people who loved art‚ the more it touched me. It was in my blood‚” he said.
But Karangwa only began painting in 2006 after he arrived in South Africa‚ inspired by local artist Andrew Cooper‚ whose work was on exhibition at Constantia Village where Karangwa has worked as a car guard since 2005.
After landing in Cape Town, Karangwa became a car guard to feed himself.
“As a foreigner, you take anything you can get, “ he said. “My brother and I came to South Africa alone, no family to support us. I didn’t like the work, and I eventually want to leave it, but it’s the only way I can achieve my dream of being a professional artist.”
“When I saw his work I was shocked‚” he said. “In my life‚ that was the first time I had seen a painting that realistic. I couldn’t even imagine how he created something like that. It was three-dimensional. My dream was to meet him one day.”
Karangwa got his wish in 2014 when Cooper learnt of him through a newspaper article publicising his first exhibition. Karangwa listed him as one of his inspirations‚ and Cooper was honoured.
He sought out Karangwa and agreed to mentor him. They now work together every week at Red the Gallery in Tokai.
Karangwa started selling his paintings for about R1000‚ but this year he sold one for R7000.
Eager to learn‚ he had improved by leaps and bounds and developed a detailed eye‚ said Cooper.
“He’s like a sponge. He sucks everything in. Every week to the next week‚ you can just see the jumps. Most artists don’t improve that quickly.
“Eric’s improvement has been so much quicker. His natural ability‚ along with his drive — he has all the ingredients for success.”
In 2013, Karangwa brought a portrait he painted of Nelson Mandela to the shopping centre management. They offered him a spot inside the centre to have his first exhibition. He sold three landscape paintings in three days.
Cooper happened to read an article on the event in the Constantiaberg Bulletin in which Karangwa mentioned him as his inspiration.
He introduced himself to Karangwa, and the two have had a mentor relationship ever since.
Cooper advises Karangwa on everything, from brush technique to the business side of being an artist.
“He takes everything I give him and uses it 100 percent. I think within six months he’ll be in galleries himself,” Cooper said.
Karangwa now works at the car park on weekends, and spends weekdays painting.
“It’s gotten to the point where I cannot buy myself a new pair of shoes. People ask why I don’t work more and put my art aside, but I can’t stop,” he said. “I’m getting good, and I know I will make it some day. When you love something you can’t give it up.”
Karangwa’s colleagues will not let him quit either. His boss helps him set up exhibitions, transport paintings, and understands when he arrives late to work after finishing a painting.
For more information on his amazing exhibitions, visit “Erick Fine Arts” on Facebook.
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