Thomas Phiri with his famous Africa wire pieces
Driving past the La Lucia turn-off, nearly every motorist who frequents the route is most likely familiar with 37-year-old Thomas Phiri, the man with an effervescent spirit showing off another one of his remarkable wire art pieces. It was how Ask Ashe blogger, Nicola Ashe, first met the artist. Enamoured by his talent and work ethic, she commissioned one of Phiri’s famous beaded Africa pieces.
“Anyone who has met Thomas will know how talented he is. Anything we asked him to make he could do. He made wire hangers for one of our clients for a photoshoot just from a picture on Pinterest, beaded furniture for an events company, made baobab Christmas trees for our office, you name it, he could do it,” explained Ashe. According to Ashe, it was only natural progression to set Phiri up on Facebook, providing him the opportunity to showcase his art to a wider audience. In no time, the Briardene resident blew up online, garnering fans both locally and internationally. “His incredible talent and knack for creating pieces that people want no matter where they live means he has requests for artwork all the time. The Team Wire Facebook page has enabled his artwork to be shared internationally and we have requests for pieces to be sent far and wide; Australia and the UK most often.”
“He’s been commissioned to make pieces for football fans in the UK of their favourite football club logo, to make model-size cars for kids toys, to make signage for offices and restaurants and even local events and tourism indabas. This year he’ll be making more wire baobab trees for Christmas, which make an amazing statement when decorated with baubles and fairy lights,” added Ashe. “Art has the ability to express joy and make people feel things without saying a word. Thomas seems to infuse his personality into his pieces through the use of colour and scale and I’ve always been amazed at how many people comment on Facebook to say they recognise him from the La Lucia turn-off and he’s so talented and always friendly. Art doesn’t discriminate and it’s through this medium that Thomas has been able to share his talent with us,” said Ashe.
According to the artist, it all began as a young boy, making wire cars with his brothers in Zimbabwe. After moving to South Africa due to the country’s upheaval, he shared a room with friends in Pretoria. It was at that time his skills flourished by creating more elaborate pieces and selling them for an income. “In 2008, I moved in with my cousin who was teaching at the North West University. I did many odd jobs, one of them working in a kitchen. Customers used to always compliment my plate garnishing and it was then I realised my passion for anything artistic,” Phiri shared. Ashe states that every single piece that Phiri creates is hand-made by him unless a bigger order requires extra hands. “Despite many struggles, he is always positive and strives to use his art as a means to support himself and his family. He has a can-do attitude and is always willing to attempt anything he’s asked to do. Given a choice between being a victim of circumstance or choosing to support himself, he has triumphed in the latter and even goes so far as to share his talent with others, giving wire and beading classes.” Phiri added that his favourite people to teach are the young boys in the community who constantly request wire cars. “I think to myself that this is where I started and I want to share my skills with them.”
