"Why can’t I be happy for myself?
For some reason the thought of jumping up with joy when I finally achieve/complete something makes me feel strange. Is it being humble or being afraid? I started off this year setting out a target for things I wanted to achieve both personally and professionally but yet once I do, I don’t take time to celebrate them, to be genuinely happy for myself whether privately or publicly, no matter how small of a thing. It’s kind of funny that my work is a testament of how small things make the large ones possible but here I am.
My work continues to be an inward reflection of my life as it unfolds, as I try consistently to produce works that hold the purest form of how I feel and who I am as an artist and just me, Kutlo. I think I haven’t been able to produce the elusive “body of work” I seek because I don’t appreciate, celebrate and accept the completed pieces I struggle to make. I do question a lot regarding this, and will I feel this way if I had a studio full of everything I need? A bank account full of money? A happy relationship? Will I always find something missing? Something more to do?
What will be enough for YOU?" - Kutlo Mabua, 2021.
