Our alumni have always been a diverse group, sharing a passion for design innovation and boldly shaping the future rather than just living in it. Here are some of their stories:

Meet Buhle Nkalashe

My name is Buhle Nkalashe, born and bred in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. When I was very young I attended Saturday Arts classes at Frank Joubert art school (Now known as Peter Clarke Art Centre). Then I only started taking Visual Arts as a subject in Grade 10. That’s when my Visual Arts career began. Straight out of high school I did a foundation course at Learn to Earn, where I discovered more about the Graphic Design industry and a bit about the Visual Arts. That’s where I also found out about CTCA and its broad Communication Design BA degree. I have also been doing Visual Arts through the duration of studying at CTCA and still to this day continue with it. 

What have you been up to since graduating?

Since Graduating I had been offered an internship at HERO Marketing Agency for 3 months, then after that, I decided to pursue my Visual Arts full time to give it my all. After 6 months I decided to go back to Graphic Design to balance the two again to support my Visual Arts. After a year I got so many tasks from both Design and Art, That’s when I decided to pursue Visual Art full time again and I never looked back ever since. Currently, I am applying for residences in Europe and America to get a better understanding of the industry, I believe that this will expand my mindset even more as with the residency I recently did of Zanele Muholi.

What has been your biggest accomplishment since graduating/what are you proudest of? 

It is the Zanele Muholi Residency and being featured on Saatchi Art Online (2020 Best Young Artists to Collect.)

Is there anything you miss about being a student at Creative Academy? 

The unexpecting projects in illustration which challenged our creative minds. The awesome friendly lectures who gave extra time and close attention to help me out as I was struggling with some tasks/ projects.

What advice do you have for current students?

Be yourself and connect with like-minded people. Try to learn more about your field of interest through workshops and internships.

What inspires you/your work?

I am a painter who incorporates mixed media like Oil & Acrylic paint, & Oil pastels. I celebrate South African people and their cultural heritage. I appreciate this beauty through my interpretation of traditional patterns borrowed from isiXhosa, isiZulu, and Ndebele. I feel these patterns and colours are a strong symbol of the South African ethnicity.

What is next for you?

A group exhibition (New Africa) at Basel in Switzerland https://www.afrinovart.com/newafrica

Why should aspiring creatives consider the Creative Academy as a place to study?

As I mentioned before awesome friendly lecturers who are dedicated and committed. Also, CTCA is up to date and keeps up with the world. CTCA is not traditional rather they are always open-minded for new ways and ideas. Before I completed my studies there was a Contemporary Visual Arts course which is something completely different and is a very good foundation.