About the Artist
Kim Mobey is a multidisciplinary artist from South Africa. Her work is driven by human connection, history and published research into the nature of belonging, home, sanity and human happiness.
Articles
I wrote this while recovering from the impact of the prolonged, mismanaged water crisis in the Western Cape. It's a personal perspective on the challenges and societal tensions that accompanied the drought. The painting and article both reflect themes of frustration, stubborn resilience, and adaptation amidst mayoral neglect and environmental uncertainty. It’s a personal experience that I hope captures the struggle, and occasional moments of joy, that are becoming increasingly unbalanced in the lives of ordinary South Africans.
Wabele is the forest spirit, the one we humans carried with us across the planet. Making this sculpture demanded that I rapidly learn and master the challenges of material selection and mould-making.
Aside from the material incompatibilities and navigating the complexities of multi-part mould-making each setback became a lesson learned. The evolution of "Wabele" says something about human perseverance and adaptation in the face of adversity. This may be a metaphor of some sort.
A creative rambling essay that explores painting and sculpture and all the other ......, rejecting convention for a secluded studio surrounded by nature. Each stroke of the brush or sculpting of material is a personal exploration of human connection and identity. Through art, they evoke emotion and challenge perceptions, inviting viewers to engage with the world in new ways.
This taught me more than it should have: mostly about navigates the complexities of outsourcing, what happens when a big company does it badly and the usual stuff about overcoming adversity. It's a more candid reflection than I would like but let's pretend it's only about how there's a gold lining in every accident and an indomitable spirit that lies within us all.
Video Essays about Art and Studio Life
Studio Practice
Here are some practical sculpture and mould-making techniques for minimising waste of materials, time and space in the studio.
On Criticism
Not all criticism is useful. Here's how to make sure you're not just trolling, and how to filter the incoming soup of opinions.
On Trauma and Recovery
For artists in mental health systems and the people who think they're helping. Here's a short take on well-meaning gaslighting and how to not reframe unnecessary pain.