Amapiano sensation Kamo Mphela held her gaze in awe of her large-scale portrait made solely of lipstick and foundation.
The 6m portrait of the 25-year-old Dali hit-maker was created over a five-day live installation and was unveiled in the heart of Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton City on Monday.
The artwork is a nod to the upcoming National Lipstick Day on July 29.
Behind the creamy shades of liquid lipsticks and colour-matching foundation technique is self-taught 24-year-old artist Ricollin Moodley. This was the first live installation for the young artist.
“This was my first live painting with makeup and the largest-scale makeup artwork I've created. It was something new for me, but at the same time, in my head, I already knew how I was going to approach it,” he says.
“I spent five days painting it live in the centre of Nelson Mandela Square. People couldn’t believe that it's made with lipstick and foundation. I was there in person so I could show the process because a lot of people don't believe it's done with lipsticks when they look at it, and live, you can see the shades that I use.”
Moodley used 400 bottles of foundation and over 1000 liquid lipsticks to recreate the portrait of Mphela sporting a lipstick, red biker jacket and fringed bob hairdo.
“People were surprised by the way it came out, perhaps they were thinking it would be blurred or smudged because at the end of the day it's made with foundations and lipsticks,” Moodley says.
Moodley’s one-of-a-kind artworks, blended with the smooth choice of cosmetic medium, are undoubtedly visually captivating. Even capturing the attention of Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and fellow team members.
Portraits of the Springboks started making rounds after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“There was so much joy and celebration, I thought it would be special to take the lipsticks I found and create, at the time, my biggest lipstick painting of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. I posted the video of the artwork and it went viral,” he says.
“From that time, I’ve had a relationship with Siya Kolisi and he's guided me. I have since been painting the Springboks with lipstick – painting these muscular men with something so delicate as lipstick creates a lot of interest.”
Moodley resides in Port Shepstone, south of Durban, and with no art experience, he decided to take action.
“My dad was the only one working in the house and my mom wasn't well. His salary was only able to cover the rent and we had no food at all,” he says.
“I was 16 years old in grade 11 and I was thinking, there must be something I can do with my hands. With no knowledge of art, I went to the Port Edward beach and using the back pages from colouring competitions I got from the library, I started sketching.”
Moodley sketched an illustration of a grandfather reunited with his grandchild and his commission for the piece was the blessing that turned the wheels of change in his life.
“I asked for bread and juice to take back home, but he came back with groceries, a brand-new phone, and an envelope with money. He told me that whenever he needed work to be commissioned, he would WhatsApp and contact me. The gentleman also told me that I must never underestimate my value and then from that moment I realised that art can put food on the table,” he says.
“My mom and I opened a Facebook account and I started drawing about three artworks a day while in school. I knew that I needed to create works and my mom would post them online.
“People donated whatever art supplies they had, whether it was paints, charcoals, pastels or any sort of art supplies and I gave it a try. I started painting with lipsticks in 2022. Most of the time, I couldn't afford art supplies and I still wanted to create artworks. I came across a box of discarded makeup and lipsticks digging in the bin and I knew that I needed to do something with them. It kicked off me being known for my lipstick paintings.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.