WiseTwo (Bhupendra Jethwa)

WiseTwo (Bhupendra Jethwa) (Kenya).

The name WiseTwo was self-given, a breakdown from the word wisdom but still humble hence the two, in reference to "not everybody can be the Wise One." 

“I started painting around 2009 because I felt like I had something to express and the rawness of the expression of the mural-making process was appealing to me, since it has this rebellious nature to it. I got introduced to painting on the streets by local graffiti artists, they taught me the tricks and the trades of being an artist on the street. Growing up in Nairobi it was not always easy to paint walls or express what we had to say without getting in trouble. But those struggles made the process richer. I developed my style from my interest and curiosity of ancient cultures and I am fascinated with the concept of masks, because they are used in both ancient and modern cultures. In ancient cultures they were used for rituals by the shamans to convey messages and the powers they held. Nowadays, we move through societies with our masks on; very few people get to see our true nature, our true selves when we let our guard down. 

What I like the most about being a street artist is the thrill of traveling and painting in different locations, I like painting with different people, for different people, being accepted in different communities, being able to create a platform for dialogue between the art and the community. For example, when I was in Mexicali, Mexico painting the ‘Tres Emigrantes’ mural I got to see the mystery of the different communities co-existing but at the same time keeping their own traditions alive. It is a city at the border with the US, so you get to see two different sides of the world which haven't fully accepted each other yet. I got to see how these two societies differ from each other, and it is impressive to see two places so close together yet so different. I got to paint a massive wall, 900m2, so it was a huge challenge because I am dealing with the extreme temperatures of the desert, cold, heat and powerful gushes of wind throughout the day. The language barrier was a bit difficult to navigate but picked up many Spanish survival skills along the way, but it was refreshing because it took me out of my comfort zone and I got to create a really strong concept. ‘Tres Emigrantes’ like the three kings represent how in olden times we were able to travel without borders, we were able to share our culture more freely. Now we are constrained quite a bit because of the existence of borders laws and regulations hence experiencing a cultural fusion and cultural identity at the same time once a union is achieved. Once you are migrating for greener pastures you somehow have to let go of some pieces of your culture and embrace another culture.

In my work you can always find the mask as the centrepiece, it's my universal thread that connects my art to various cultures and people and celebrating them in a burst of colour. You can also find the glyphs, that I use to create my own writing system that has been a work in progress for nearly 10 years allowing my own way of expression, similar to what the ancient civilisations used to communicate. These ancient cultures used their own writing systems to communicate a story or to create something beautiful, something similar from what I am trying to achieve. I usually have some nature in my work such as trees, the moon, the sun and various different elements. All the ancient civilisations used nature as a guide for their lifestyles, nature represents home, back to our roots and connecting with our primal being and, at the same time, respecting the laws of the earth and the spiritual.” - WiseTwo

“I like the colour blue, it has a calming feel to it, a royalty of sorts and the merge of turquoise, cerulean blue, black and gold bring a richness to the artwork, since the piece is called Lapis Lazuli a semi-precious stone which is considered to be a protection from psychic attacks, it also brings deep peace, harmony and reveals inner truth, compassion, self- awareness, honesty and self-expression, and this was my very basis for inspiration, to bring something powerful out there in the world. A small gesture of balance in this crazy world at the moment. 

I did experience a few roadblocks, from time constraints to conceptual ideas, but had to take a breather and several walks in the city to finally make up my mind, sometimes being a perfectionist has its ups and downs. 

The piece finally came out as I expected, actually, even better, I knew that the gold in the piece will bring out the many features of the artwork but I didn’t visualise the final artwork and it was splendid. 

I love the iconography behind the piece, since Lapis Lazuli was a rarity in ancient times it was only used in the creation of artworks commissioned by the richest of patrons."

This piece is final sale and not eligible for return.

Boundless Space… The Possibilities of Burning Man.