Experimental young artists at work

Most young artists in Botswana still remain under the radar and never get a chance to experiment long enough to make a lasting impression. 

Last week Thapong Visual Arts Centre hosted the first ever Young Artist Exhibition and it was an opportunity for young artists to get exposure. 

Mmegi Staffer Mompati Tlhankane went to the exhibition gallery to see some of the most outstanding artworks from the inaugural exhibition. 

While some artworks are more outstanding than others, collectively the youngsters went all out to show that age is nothing but a number. Growth and experimentation is communicated through every piece.

One of the exhibitors Thato Khomela came up with rather unique and unusual concepts in his collection of paintings.  One of his outstanding artworks is called Bathing in the Moonlight and shows a distinctive view of a woman taking a bath at night.  The artwork itself is a blend of vision, feeling and practicality.  From a distance, the piece looks more like chalkboard paint, but coming closer one could now realise that it is acrylic on canvas.

Another one is called Practice Makes Perfect and it is also acrylic on canvas and the paint is available in varying shades of colour.  He used light and dark to develop dimensional forms.  The portrait shows a monstrous looking finger.  

The portrait looks like it had been stained with a brown liquid.  The artist’s experimentation on the black colour looks picture perfect and demands a lot of absorption from the viewer.  

Khomela told  Arts & Culture that  he saw the exhibition as an opportunity to showcase his skills.  “I experimented with acrylic using monochromatic to create endless colours to explore tints, tones and shades,” he said.

Khomela said he came up with the strategy to bring out his other hidden talents.
“I wanted to differ from other artists and show growth,” he said. He indicated that his Bathing in the Moonlight created a little bit of controversy because people had been enquiring about it.  Khomela said the finger artwork shows that people can get better with practice. “The finger shows a person playing a game we used to call chama or ale. 

The finger is finally perfect after years and years of practice, so is every aspect of life,” he said.