John Yoz Njobvuyalema

Description

John Yoz Njobvuyalema who’s artistically known as Yoz is from the city of Blantyre located in the Shire Highlands, in southern Malawi.  An area blended by British colonialism and Scottish clergy. Today the city is the commercial capital of the country.  Moreover, it is also filled with forgotten architecture that reflects a time that once was between two worlds — homes that are erected of mud & grass and Georgian architecture that reflects colonial rule.  After World War I, Blantyre became a central location for trade Africa and Euro-Asia and continues to do so today.

Yoz is a leading artist among his contemporaries. In Blantyre, it is common for many artists to collaborate and meet to discuss art and review artistic techniques with the hopes of pushing the field further throughout the country.  Yoz produces works that are often utilitarian and familiar to the viewer. He defies that all art has to be beautiful, instead believes that the work should be filled with dignity and of that of the artist.

In his own words: “I use my art skills to educate, beautify the cultural fabric of all that observe my works, and bring awareness to the issues that plague my community. I’m inspired by nature and admire the effort that goes into the works of other artists.  I don’t see things as a competition, but more so a way for each of us to capture history and share it with the world.  It’s a necessary component of what we do in an attempt to make the world a better place.”