5WA GREAT AFRIKAN STORIES - APOLLO THE ILLUSTRATOR

On Smash Africa Weekends, host Tshepi Moji “Big Chief” features Apollo The Illustrator for the show’s “Great African Story,” exploring how Apollo’s art journey grew from casually drawing and selling work to committing fully in 2021 after spending time in Johannesburg galleries. Apollo explains how Joburg’s fast creative pace pushed his development, how illustration can be cathartic and fueled by research into cultures, and how his process moves from films or songs to references, portraiture, a set color palette, sketches, and publishing. He discusses balancing the creative and business sides of being an artist, and how admin can limit making more work. Apollo shares that his art often comes from a melancholic place, and he’s pursuing furniture work and more murals while expanding beyond the traditional canvas; he can be found on Instagram/TikTok as @Apollo_the_illustrator