Mokhuhlani – An artist of many hats
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Sunday December 18, 2022 06:00
Mokhuhlani holds a Diploma in Secondary Education from Molepolole College of Education with Art and English as his major and minor subjects respectively. He also graduated with a National Diploma in Fine Art and a Bachelors of Fine Art Degree from Vaal University of Technology in South Africa in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Mokhuhlani, who is also the founder and director of Empire Arts Consultancy, told Arts & Culture that his artistry is evident from 100 artworks he made given their diverse materiality and technical approach.
He explained that the artworks are centered on Pan-Africanism, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Afro-Identity and Psycho-analysis. The multi-talented art guru started art work at a tender age by making most of his drawings on the ground and creating clay sculptures.
The father of two said he got his inspiration from his mother whom at some point he got the opportunity to work with when she was doing basket weaving, knitting and ‘dressmaking’ and hand embroidery.
He recalled that back then when other children got fancy Christmas clothes from well-known brands, his clothes were unique as they were customised and homemade. Speaking about his art ecosystem, the artist said his earliest experience started with a deliberate collaborative project in 2005 that established Artists Across the Zambezi.
“It was then that I discovered the power of networking and working on collaborative projects. It is these networks that I have built for almost 20 years that have enabled me to connect and have my work featured abroad and in Africa.
I have friends in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and others,” he added. Mokhuhlani is constantly on the web searching for opportunities as well as subscribing to online newsletters that are relevant to his workspace in order to seek opportunities in the international markets. He said he has managed to make more virtual relationships with artists, curators and online marketing platforms like galleries and museums.
Asked on which current art world trend he follows, the curator and art consultant said he is forced to be consistent with developments in the arts, from trends in creation and the art markets. “From a marketing perspective, all thanks to COVID-19, most galleries and collectors harnessed the power of the Internet and in 2021 we witnessed a significant surge in online sales as compared to pre-COVID times. Contemporary art seems to be gaining traction in art auctions as evidenced by sales in 2021. Notably, China is the second best consumer of the visual arts, auction wise, and there is a general interest from established auction houses in collecting art from Africa,” said Mokhuhlani. He is said one favourite work that enjoyed public love is the artwork titled ‘Motswedi wa Kitso’ which won the Thapong Artist of the year award in 2017.
The artwork ‘Motswedi wa Kitso’ meaning fountain of knowledge and wisdom, which is a portrait of an old man wearing a hat is a 120cm x 80cm work, is made from nails and dense layers of thread on plywood, he elaborated. He stated that the nails are symbolic of the ‘pains’ Africans have been subjected and continue to suffer from slavery times to modern day imperialism. He explained that Africans have lost their identities in the process as they embraced capitalist tendencies brought about by globalisation.
However, he said they have a role to revitalise themselves by tapping into their Indigenous Knowledge Systems still intact in the memories of the elders. “The threads are symbolic of the crisscrossing paths we must, in solidarity, embrace as people of colour in rebuilding our identities in the contemporary and beyond and contribute to a strong cultural heritage,” said the talented Mokhuhlani.
He said his favourite artwork is the Infinite Thought I and II, which is made from a thousand biscuits like hand crafted clay discs, which are then stuck onto a 120cm x 80cm plywood board. The multidisciplinary visual artist indicated that the discs were individually handcrafted from different clay bodies, then bisque-fired at different temperatures to give variations in colour and some discs were then later baked in open fire to darken the tones. He said none of them were painted nor glazed but deliberate thoughts and experimentations were implored into creating variations in tones for the effective display of infinite patterns. He said the work, which started in 2018 and only got completed in 2021, takes the viewer on an immersive mind-loop with interpretative thoughts playing with the mind with no beginning nor end.
His advice to the upcoming artists is for them to be patient with their work and take criticism as a constructive tool meant to assist them in developing their craft. Mokhuhlani has been a formal art educator for the past 18 years and has since received several arts awards both regionally and internationally. He has worked for Thapong Visual Arts Centre being part of the Francistown Arts Meeting.
During his tenure as a teacher, Mokhuhlani has been a bonafide member of the Botswana National Art Fair (BONAFA), a national body that organises exhibitions and workshops for students and teachers. He is currently the chairperson of Visual Arts Forum for Educators in Southern Africa (VAFESA), which was launched in 2019 in South Africa.