LESLEY Wengembo is the Pacific’s youngest natural talented Artist at the age of only 17 year when he won second place in the 2014 Port Moresby Arts Exhibition. He was also recognized with a merit award for the exhibition’s theme Meri (Woman). After receiving local media coverage, Wengembo has been able to cultivate new cultural exchanges through art, including participating in the Deutsche 1914 project.
Lesley is now 18 and attending Gerehu Secondary School in Port Moresby, he hails from Pangia in the Southern Highlands Province, and is the third born of the four boys.
Lesley, like many boys at his age, has dreams and goals for which he strives to accomplish. For the young lad, he hopes to one day be a professional painter, a dream he says grew from his love of drawing.
His mother, Josephine Gundu, sells beautifully woven bilums and sewn meri blouses that she makes herself. Her creativity and fashion-sense enabling her to design her bilums and blouses and through her sales, earns income to support the family. Lesley’s father, Alex Wengembo, is an administration driver employed with Coral Sea Hotel in Port Moresby.
Lesley’s passion for the arts began as a student in grade seven. He fondly recalls a talent show staged at the Assemblies of God (AOG) church at Morata in the North-west electorate of Port Moresby. It was during the talent show that Lesley surprised the audience with his drawing. He drew a sketch of a human figure, and painted it on stage; an amazing show of raw talent for a boy of his age which surprised everyone, especially his parents.
Seeing the talent and potential that young lad had, the AOG Morata church asked Lesley to paint the church with beautiful Christian images; this offer he accepted and took the opportunity presented to him, painting the church with Christian murals.
Lesley’s passion for drawing and painting grew and he’s spent more time sketching and painting; through time, his work has grown from strength to strength. Through the many opportunities given, he has successfully been able to display his work through various forms. This was the initially the start of his journey to selling his artwork.
He has been chosen for an Arts Exhibition in Paris. France next month and he will be leaving to showcase PNG artwork on a global scene.-Via Garamut News.
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