Prins Ferdinand

Ferdinand Prins was born on 7 March 1962 in Paarl (South Africa). After attending and completing primary school he trained to become an electrical technician. On 31 December 1984 Ferdi Prins had a diving accident and suffered a grave spinal cord injury at the height of the C5 vertebra, affecting motor and sensory functions. After the accident he spent some 8 months at hospital in medical care and rehabilitation. Since then he has been living in homes for the disabled and is presently living at the Quasar home for tetraplegic persons. In late 2008, encouraged by art teacher Marthie Vos Westraadt, he decided to start painting with the mouth. At the time he gave numerous public lectures on the dangers of diving, wanting to raise the awareness of disability. Painting was meant to broaden his occupational horizon, which it did and still does to this day. Repeated contributions to exhibitions in his area form part of his activities.