Creative maker: Wire artist from Kalk Bay shares his knowledge far and wide

Wire art

Albert Kamupíra not only creates and sells his works of art in Kalk Bay but also shares his knowledge far and wide.

by MARGUERITE VAN WYK

His first wire creation was a bicycle, followed by a VW Beetle, then a motorbike … Albert Kamupíraʼs thoughts turn back to his hometown, Harare, where his brother taught him to do wire work. ʻWe picked up scrap wire wherever we could, ʼ he says. Today his ʻofficeʼ is the harbour. He listens to the waves breaking, smells the ocean, feels the sun on his back, watches the seals play in the water. His art, there in the open air, attracts local and international tourists. An American friend and I recently meandered through

Kalk Bay. She left with a large bag full of Albertʼs creations.

I bought one of his fish. ʻPeople like buying my penguins. And theyʼre so easy to make, ʼ he laughs. But the lion, oh no, that one is difficult. ʻItʼs the face. But you just have to keep going and then it works out nicely, ʼ he says. At the age of 14, when he started, he found wire art very challenging. In fact, he would hide away each time after he had made something. ʻI was afraid that I hadnʼt done it right and then my brother and his friends would laugh at me. ʼ These day you can ask him for anything. People sometimes bring him photos. He likes trying to find solutions. Albert uses good-quality wire that he buys from the hardware shop and he picks out beads by hand at bead shops. His three daughters, Delia, Linda and Precious, are still at school. Yes, they have their fatherʼs artistic genes, but prefer to do beadwork. Or they draw. And Chipo, his wife, works in the pharmacy in Fish Hoek, near their flat. He works seven days a week at his stall at the harbour. But back at the flat, in the evening quietness, he sits on the balcony. Then his creativity starts to work overtime. Just him and his pliers and beads and wire. Sometimes he tinkers until midnight. ʻIt makes me feel good when I look at a wire face, a lampshade, a flower, tree or animal… anything that I have created. ʼ He has trained five other wire artists from the area through to Hout Bay, he says. If you are artistic, share your talents, he believes. Covid-19 hit the street artists hard. There was a time when he felt hopeless, very afraid that the tourists would never return. In the hard lockdown months he had little desire to do his wire art, but after a few months he started working enthusiastically again. Albert looks at the two seals lying in front of us, basking in the sun. A few tourists wander past, take photos. Later another group come along and buy souvenirs from him. He laughs again, he has new courage.

3 To order, send a WhatsApp to Albert at 073 377 6358.