Students display maturity in their Works

Chippa Legodimo | Friday July 11, 2014 12:15

 From the abstract black and red paper mache sculpture of a man sitting on top of a coffin with cigarette stubs around it depicting the bad effects of tobacco, to the beautiful cream white living room vases; the pieces are simply breathtaking.  There is a sense of maturity and good technique in the works.

The artworks vary from drawings, paintings, sculptures and crafts of different dimensions.

Some of the works depict stories such as the history of Botswana showing the pastoral lands of the country and paintings of the Khama family with some spreading the awareness of drug abuse.

Interestingly, the students told various stories of different life situations through the pieces tackling issues such as religion, culture and celebrating various genres of music. One of the most interesting pieces documents Hugh Masekela blowing the saxophone and Ndingo Johwa playing the guitar.

An observer would also be impressed by the students’ level of imagination in creating both abstract and realistic pieces, whether they were in three dimensions or two-dimensional form.

Most of the students sought to use their skills to share their fears, dreams and hopes through some of the pieces. There are works about the fight against HIV/AIDS, substance and drug abuse as well as corruption. One of the pieces depicts two people having sexual intercourse.  In the same painting, the artists emphasised the dangers of unprotected sex by attaching a ‘mortuary identification tag’ to one of the two’s toes. 

One of the teachers, Kanni Balasvbramanian, explained to Arts & Culture that they were impressed with the level of maturity in this year’s exhibition.

“In all the categories we have works that one would think are from seasoned artists, not students.  They tackled various themes well and their technical awareness is showing in the pieces,” he said.

The exhibition ends on Saturday.