My name is Paul Mwamba
My name is Paul Mwamba and I was born on the 30th July 1992.
I’m the fourth-born among 6 children, which I guess is a pretty big family in comparison to the average Australian family sizes. We have lived in Australia for 8 years and a couple days now.
My family and I originate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was born in the city of Kolwezi, but I don’t remember very much from those days.
My family immigrated to South Africa when I was only about 17 – 18 months old due to civil unrest between tribes which resulted in mass chaos in the cities. This unrest resulted in a lot of families being stranded and left with no options but to leave and seek refuge someplace else. By the grace of God my family’s immigration was successful. Looking back, I feel like leaving my home country at such a young age kind of took away my sense of belonging to the country. South Africa then became my home, after all that’s where I spent 10-11 years of my childhood.
Now about my art, this I been doing ever since my elementary years. This is a talent that runs within the family, presumably inherited from my dad’s genealogy.
My dad is one of the reasons why my brothers and I keep up with the arts. He was himself a part-time artist and at one stage even attempted to make a living on some of his works- we draw much inspiration from him.
I remember how my brothers and I would crowd around his table and watch attentively as he performed his paintings and we would attempt the same thing the next morning. My brothers and I shared a strong sense of competitiveness, we all worked on developing our own unique approaches.
Unlike other kids our age, my brothers and I dedicated an immense amount of time in our childhood drawing indoors while the other children played outside. That was how we improved and made a name for ourselves as we journeyed through primary to high school and until this very day.
Art has always been a big part of me and my family, nothing would make me happier than doing art for a career.
However, it unfortunately happens to be a bit of a financial risk and a bit of a roller-coaster ride. I’ve therefore decided to pursue the artistic career as an architect rather than art alone.