George Mokwena, aka Degrande Artmaestroy, left South Africa on the 7th of August and returned on the 20th of October 2024 from his mural internship program/project. Armed with a paint brush and facing the canvass every morning and afternoon for 5 straight days per week and only resting on weekends was his painting routine over a period of 70 days spent in Fallo, Chieti province in Italy.
One of the key projects he participated in was the painting of the 84 meters mural, which portrays a story of immigrants who came to South Africa from Italy after World War 2.
Just a few days before returning to South Africa, Mokwena was joined by Nosipho Nausca-Jean Jezile, the South African Ambassador to Italy and Siyanda Mnukwa, the Director of Sports, Art and Culture of the City of Johannesburg, who visited Italy for the unveiling of the wall he painted together with the two more interns he left with. South Africa and Italy have a mutual relationship, which explains the visit of government officials to the European country. His story was featured in the October edition of Art Time, a South African magazine that focuses on art stories.
Speaking to Ntshebele a few days after his return, Mokwena said being in Italy felt good even though it was tough for him to adapt to the weather patterns and cuisine (a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region). Asked where to from now, Mokwena said; “I think after I am done with my internship, I will go solo and try different skills in art mediums to grow my talent.
At this stage I am grateful to be selected and to be given this opportunity.
It was a great exposure and networking for me,” concluded Mokwena.