“Personally I couldn’t accept the title of artist. Mainly because I knew how serious it was and how serious it still is. I was rather more comfortable with the title ‘creative’,” says Gum. “I was scared of celebrating myself. I did not want to be perceived as self-centered, although it is quite ironic since I take selfies as my art.” Self-worth is an issue we deal with every day, the trick is to discover your own creative outlet – according to Gum. “Discover it, understand it and finally accept it,” she says. “I still do believe that I am an artist in learning and I am still at that understanding phase. “

Drawing on a colorful palette while using props, clothes, and poses reminiscent of classic African studio photography, Gum’s imagery is a celebration of her culture and her generation. “I’m proud of my race and know that there is beauty to all that we have here,” Gum says. “It’s important to portray to the world what South Africa is about.” In the Black Coca series, she illustrated an array of projected identities that she spliced together with the iconic brand. Her inspiration and message behind that series is making the Coke brand uniquely African and creating a close link between the brand and the people.

Born in 1995 in the township of KwaLanga, Tony Gum moved to the leafy suburb of Pineland in her youth. She studied in photography and filmmaking at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and is producing a new prism through which people can view contemporary African art, fashion, and culture. She has been recently named by Vogue International as the “Coolest Girl in Cape Town”. She is the co-founder of the Local Collective Vlog on YouTube, which is affiliated to the Icon Endemol global network of multimedia content producers.