Artistes warned against piracy
Chippa Legodimo | Tuesday December 9, 2014 12:57
The warning was sounded by Thapong Visual Arts Centre coordinator Reginald Bakwena at the 2014 Thapong Artist of the Year Awards on Thursday.
Bakwena said that he has observed that certain artists who reproduce other people’s works fail to acknowledge the originators of such works. “For instance in the ongoing exhibition (TAYA) there are some very beautiful works, which speak volumes of the artists but the problem is that those are not their original works and they have not acknowledged the owners,” he said.
The same sentiments were echoed by one of the judges Donald Moilwa who said that while it was encouraging that more and more artists are showing interest in the awards it was of grave concern that some works had to be tossed aside for lack of originality.
Moilwa also raised concern at the declining number of drawings, sculpture and crafts.
He however, noted that the quality of works submitted were impressive. He also complained of the lack of professionalism among some artists as well as overpricing of pieces, which he said did not match the standard of the works.
He also encouraged artists to research and properly reference their works. Managing Director of Diamond Trading Botswana, Tabake Kobedi, criticised locals who bought cheap foreign art while there was better quality locally. He, however, underscored the importance of producing high quality art pieces that can compete globally. “Artists should produce pieces that can entice highly sophisticated customers,” Kobedi said. He noted the reason his company has been sponsoring Thapong for years was in recognition of the role played by the arts in economic diversification.
Kobedi added that the arts industry cannot operate in isolation and that the industry could help in attracting customers to other sectors of the economy.
He challenged his colleagues in the cooperate fraternity to play a meaningful role in advancing the arts.
“Much as it is good for my company and other partners to bask in the glory of sponsoring events such as this one, we would like to share that glory with other companies.
And companies should commit long term to such a cause,” Kobedi said. Guest speaker at the event, BOCCIM chairman Leta Mosienyane said that it was important for Batswana to tell their stories through local art.
“The African story until recently has been told by other people in terms of art. Art is the language that portrays a people’s culture. Produce the kind of art that talks our language. It is embarrassing to see locally produced artworks celebrating other cultures,” he said.
Mosienyane said that BOCCIM sees Thapong as a partner in economic development and diversification.
“There are more millionaires in the arts globally than there are in any industry,” he said.
Mosienyane noted that because every artist aims to find a home for his or her product it was important for artists to strive for excellence and good customer care.
He said that as government and the private sector strives to improve on the quality of art facilities it was also crucial for artists to produce high quality works to match the modern structures.