Experimental young artists at work
Spira Tlhankane | Friday March 4, 2016 18:00
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.
Another outstanding young artist from the exhibition, Ditshupo Mogapi had one of the most outstanding artwork in the gallery called Masai Lady. With more emphasis of the red colour and experimentation with other colours, the portrait is striking because it shows blood dripping from the woman’s eyes and dreadlocks. The woman’s attire also says more about her culture. The use of red is important to the painting because it has proven to get the contemporary art sold.
His other painting is called Nguni Cattle and it is mixed media. Mogapi said he wanted to experiment with colours. “I never showcase in many exhibitions so this time I wanted to go all out,” he said.
Other paintings included a portrait called Down the Memory Lane by Frank De Painter.
Being a painter who does not focus on realism, his paintings combine both figurative and abstract imagery. His painting is very stylistic and depicts a portrait of a happy looking young boy. Another painting is a portrait of the late Nelson Mandela.
Another artist Kopo Monare did an artwork called We Work and it shows various five pieces combined into one. The artwork looks more like a thorn tree, but Monare can be credited for making the abstract painting into whatever he liked. Monare has worked with small pieces to create a larger and bigger result. His artwork tells that Monare is an experimental artist who creates abstract art. His other work is called my hoody and looks simple. One cannot instantly tell what the picture shows.
The coordinator of Thapong, Reginald Bakwena told Arts & Culture that they came up with the idea to expose young artists.
“Youth have developed interest in art and it shows that the future looks bright and careers can finally come out of art,” he said.
Bakwena said the works are very impressive for young artists. “It shows growth because they looked at art from a different perspective,” he said.
Bakwena said the exhibition was only open to Thapong members aged between 20 and 28 years.