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Son of artist who created Tom Mboya statue sculpts Eliud Kipchoge

Tuesday, March 8th, 2022 20:46 | By
Sculptor Mandela Cleophas Ondula and his partner, Cheryl Nagawa have created a sculpture in honour of athlete Eliud Kipchoge. PHOTO/COURTESY

Double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has finally been carved into a fine piece of art by Artist Mandela Cleophas Ondula and his fiancée Cheryl Nagawa.

The couple has also already received massive congratulatory messages on social media after posting the magnificent sculpture that vividly portrays the marathon great. A true work of art to behold.

Surprisingly, Mandela is actually the son of the late Oshottoe Ondula who created the Tom Mboya Statue that stands tall on Nairobi's Moi Avenue.

In an interview with Hillary Lisimba, he terms his skill as an acquired talent because he grew up watching his dad sculpting fantastic art pieces.

"So by watching and trying to emulate him, I discovered that I could actually sculpt," he disclosed.

Mandela, who has been in the art industry for 15 years, admitted that he went to Kenyatta University to pursue fine art but dropped out in the first semester.

According to him, the course felt monotonous because he wanted to specialise in sculpting instead of being taken through a lot of different art subjects like fashion, pottery, and graphic design.

Mandela and Nagawa use plasticine (artificial clay) to make a silicone mould then cast it using resin and fibreglass to create beautiful pieces of art. He noted that it took him four months to complete the Kipchoge sculpture whose photos are doing rounds on social media.

"Our biggest challenge is the scarcity of materials, and if they are found locally they are too expensive," he explained.

Something even quite interesting is that Mandela's fiancée Cheryl Nagawa is not only an artist but also an interior designer. "I was introduced to her by a fellow artist way back in 2016, after which we became close friends and one thing led to another, now here we are," he explained.

It was later a hook-up that soon became a blessing because when they are not doing sculptures they do interior jobs to make ends meet. Moreover, the Kipchoge sculpture has indeed caught the attention it deservedly needs.

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