Arts Interview
Artist Hanoch Piven sparks creativity in Afrika Tikkun teens
The saying goes that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, and judging by his art, Israeli artist Hanoch Piven sees treasure everywhere. His caricatures of world-famous figures are assembled from everyday objects, which often say something about the subject: a light bulb for Einstein’s nose; a key is Madiba’s mouth.
Last week Thursday Piven hosted a workshop with 30 young people from the Child and Youth Development (CYD) Programme at Afrika Tikkun’s Diepsloot Wings of Life Centre. This afforded them the opportunity to become inspired by his own work and experiment and create their own through play.
After a brief talk where the artist showcased his artwork and explained his method, the youths got to work sorting through the jumble of donated objects, selecting pieces to build their own collages. Piven made his rounds, guiding the children through the creative process.
Piven’s method happens to be an extraordinarily good fit for the children of Afrika Tikkun, given that his art is created using only everyday found objects. He also believes that art, and art as play, should not be underestimated as a form of empowerment.
“Art is play; it is not the real world. It is a contained area in which we can try things, we can fail, we can ‘not know’ and we can succeed, we can control. And while we might be very frustrated with the big world, in this small world we have created we are the masters, and once we succeed it gives us power.”
Piven was born in Uruguay in South America and raised in Israel. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1992, returning to Israel in 1995 to work for the Haaretz newspaper.
Frustrated with conventional art mediums, Piven began experimenting, creating caricatures with everyday found objects. This collage technique is what Piven now teaches in lectures and workshops across the world.
Afrika Tikkun is a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing South African youth from “Cradle to Career” through investing in education, health and social services. The organisation has skills development centres in Orange Farm, Diepsloot, Braampark, Alexandra in Gauteng, and in Mfuleni township in the Western Cape.
Hanoch Piven’s visit was made possible through Afrika Tikkun’s partnership with the Israeli embassy.