Local pair and co-founders of Colours of You South Africa, a creative platform for Port Elizabeth artists, held their fourth annual Coysa festival on Saturday March 30 at The Gallery along Produce Street, with art lovers attending in their numbers.
More than 300 people visited the design-focussed festival, with various forms of art exhibited throughout the day.
Art directors Gerard Addison and Zinzi May said this was their biggest event since they started the platform in 2014.
“This was the first time we monitored everything from ticket sales to creative selections, and we can safely say this was our biggest event thus far,” May said.
Addison added: “We aim to be inclusive and this past event was just that.
“We had children as young as four and grannies over the age of 60.
“We strive to reach out to the whole of Port Elizabeth.”
The two said they came up with the concept because they wanted to create a platform for artists to express themselves outside of the corporate environment.
“One of the places you would go to as an artist to disengage from the corporate world is art galleries.
“And we found they mostly cater for fine artists and photographers and did not speak to us as graphic designers.
“And we wanted something where all forms of art would be exhibited,” May said.
Addison said they then sought to create an authentically SA space, hence the name Colours of You South Africa.
It’s a space where people could express their talents in a unique way, Addison said. The festival featured 30 artists, five fashion brands, four filmmakers, food trucks, live artists and a dance crew – all from Port Elizabeth.
One of the live artists was cutting-edge barber and trainer Jesse Gallant.
May said: “The spaces we use plays to the idea of being non-conventional, so we look at spaces that are ‘underground’ and reveal the beauty in them.
“Someone who attended the event said they felt as though they weren’t even in Port Elizabeth, so we strive to reveal the true colours and beauty of the Bay,” May said.
The two intend growing their brand to become the pride of the Bay and hope to attain this through support from the community.