By Firmain Eric Mbadinga

 A pencil and paper, that's all Eric Andriantsialonina, popularly known as Dwa, needs to create works that are both pieces of art and a kind of space-time portals into Madagascan society.

 Thanks to his innate dexterity and eye for detail, this master of the pencil knows how to freeze everyday moments on canvas or paper to make them timeless.

 “Back to Al Bak”, one of his comic strips, gives an insight into his repertoire of techniques and his sense of narrative, using realistic, animated strokes.

 With colour and life, the graphic novel and autobiography embody Dwa's artistic signature.

 Like any artist or author aware of his gift, Dwa has themes and registers of expression that are close to his heart. The palette includes the environment, social issues and the economy, to name but a few.

 “I draw in workshops or comics. Comic strip drawing fascinates me, because you use it to tell a story. Sequential art has always attracted me, and I've always enjoyed seeing movement where nothing else moves. What I like most about comics is the link between what happens before and after a drawing,” Dwa tells TRT Afrika.

 Drawing and storytelling bug

“Then I draw on the spot, I do observational drawings. I like that because I can freeze a moment, capture an atmosphere. It gives me a better memory of a moment. You can steal a photo, but you can't steal a drawing,” he adds.

In order to be as faithful and precise as possible in his representations, the artist has had to develop his sense of observation and forge patience as one of his virtues.

Born and bred in the 80s, Dwa is convinced that he was in some way influenced by that period when, he says, Madagascan comics were flourishing. ‘’It was by reading comics that I caught the drawing and storytelling bug. It never left me. And so much the better,’ he says with a wry smile.

Like many artists in Africa, Eric had a bit of trouble getting his family to accept his vocation, especially as he had a rather accomplished school and academic career. Eric went to university and graduated with a degree in economics.

 He worked as a civil servant in his country's Ministry of Finance before deciding, 14 years ago, to devote his body and soul exclusively to drawing.

 ‘’At first, my parents let me do it when I was little. They saw that I could combine it with my studies. But when I left everything behind in 2011, at the age of 29, to throw myself wholeheartedly into it, they panicked. But I was already an adult, I already had my family, so it was a conscious choice,’ explains Dwa.

 It is common for those involved in the African visual and graphic arts to be confronted with prejudices that see jobs in these sectors as precarious.

 Indeed, while Banksy's Crude Oil recently sold for $5 million and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi for $450 million in 2017, it is rare to see works by African artists of equal or almost equal talent being bought at gold prices.

 Absorbing other people’s work

Artists such as Omar El Nagdi from Egypt and Julie Mehretu from Ethiopia are among the exceptions that confirm a global trend. These rare cases allow artists like Dwa to keep the flame of hope alive.

In Antananarivo, the capital, where Dwa's paintings and self-portraits attract more than a few glances, including those of tourists, buyers are paying for great art at modest prices. For the moment, at least. And, at the Art Maniak gallery in Paris, where some of his works are sold, prices remain accessible to all pockets.

Giving up the status of a civil servant and the financial benefits and stability that go with it, and then choosing drawing, could be challenging. But Dwa mastered his new chosen career seamlessly. 

“I read a lot, I look at what other people are doing well (or badly), I try new things. You always have to be curious and take the time to absorb other people's work,” explains Dwa, who is sometimes asked to do research outside Africa.

 Capturing Madagascar’s landscape

From time to time, Dwa chooses to draw outside, in full view of everyone, because in this field, especially with the flowering of digital applications, even with the arrival of artificial intelligence, authentic works are rare and their authors face unfair competition.

"I like it when people come up to me and I talk to them for a moment about a drawing,” he says.

For Dwa, the approach consists of bringing the public to experience the birth of works of art at first hand, and to have a fair and authentic look at the creators.

Through Dawnig, a platform that enables him to showcase his work, Dwa has had the opportunity to translate the results of research carried out in Moldavia and Sri Lanka into comics.

In addition to special commissions obtained following calls for applications, Dwa gives free rein to his talent through works that speak of life in Madagascar.

Through his multi-faceted art, Dwa takes us on a journey to discover the rich and varied landscapes and realities of the Big Island, but that's not all. He also uses his talent to tell stories set in Mayotte, Kenya, and other African countries.