Yda Walt is a vibrantly colourful person, with a personality that fills the room. Seeing her work for the first time is like someone welcoming you into their world with open arms. She has a playful approach to her work, but with a sensitivity that is evident in the way she tells these anonymous people’s stories.
She finds her voice in the various cities she has lived and worked in, settling in a suburb bordering Johannesburg, where Yda also offers regular printmaking workshops from. She is a regular contributor at the Imbali visual literacy program and her studio printer Godfrey Madito – pictured below – is a graduate of this project.
Yda draws her creativity from the energy that flows from the streets of Joburg, its people – vendors, bankers, businessmen, moms and whoever and whatever brings life to these streets. She brings a lived history into a current world, combining the ‘traditional and the modern’. She often also uses African proverbs in her work.
I am in love with her work and have two of her art panels hanging in a particularly prominent place in my home. I can in absolute honesty say that I smile every time I look at them and I’m sure any of her work will have the same effect on you. I believe everyone should have a touch of Yda Walt in their home! Her range includes art panels, homeware and has recently expanded to include some wearables, so go out and buy!
There are many exciting projects in the pipeline for Yda and we look forward to sharing them with you in the near future.
For more on Yda’s work please visit her at www.ydawaltstudio.co.za
