There are many ways to defend and help minority and disabled groups. Some young human rights defenders use social media, while others use the law to advocate and make legal and governmental change. In the case of Natoa, he supports the deaf community through his artwork: glass painting.
Natoa Rasolonjatovo is a 23 year old young talented artist based in Madagascar. Natoa’s unique talent is glass painting. He is a left-handed drawer and likes doing things upside down. This distinctive state led him to paint in glass resources by using oil color, ceramic color and porcelain. Eleven years ago, Natoa emerged in his career, and he has had great success. Several organizations and institutions from the Indian Ocean and European countries work with him. In Madagascar, he was classified as an honorable guest of the Ministry of Tourism during an international art event. Until now, Natoa keeps doing exhibition and live painting animation.
Eachof his oeuvres tells a story.
2019 was a very insightful and reflective year for Natoa. Even if he was humbly brilliant in his career steps, he did not feel fulfillment in painting his oeuvres. It took him an entire year to truly find his purpose.
Since his childhood, he has had many close relationships with physically disabled people. This comes from his parents who have a strong enthusiasm for deaf people. Natoa always knew of his facility in using his hands. The way he talks, the way he plays tambourine with his hands, he found that he better expresses his emotions through his hands. In 2017, Natoa started to interact with deaf people and he learned sign language. Now, he does voluntary work at deaf community centers. He translates sermons at church, and he takes every occasion for translation in order to help these marginalized people.
Because of his ability to communicate in sign language, his compassion and understanding of deaf people revealed to him what his real purpose in life is. He found his own language as an artist: being an ambassador for deaf people. He started to advocate for deaf community by drawing hands in his paintings. He finds that hands are powerful, natural and expressive means of communication that God gave us. Therefore, Natoa began to express by combining hands glass painting and contemporary world.
This decision of going toward his real-life purpose is surely shocking for all the people that have always been following him, but this will bring us together into a bigger world where love and compassion are available and understood by everyone. Natoa believes that each of us has a specific call in this world and he found his.
To find Natoa’s work visit his website and facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/NATOA-
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