The combination of drawing and sculpture
Spira Tlhankane | Friday September 9, 2016 15:34
The exhibited artworks provoke viewers and artists alike to re-examine their rigid meaning of both drawing and sculpture. While the two artists, Onalenna Motaung and Shepherd Ndudzo, are different in their own way, the languages of drawing and sculpture are interlinked.
Ndudzo’s work sings brilliance and most of his sculpture shown at the gallery in Thapong Visual Arts Centre is set apart by its elongated forms like the works entitled snail, winter and lady with coiffure. Ndudzo does not pay much detail into various elements but his work in the gallery like ‘Meerkat’ and ‘Genesis’ explicitly outlines his emphasis on shape and touch. His work is made from natural resources like wood. Ndudzo’s work like ‘journey home’ where he shows people in a combi demonstrates his ability to carve different patterns.
Motaung’s work is not your typical portrait drawings of people and the environment. Even though they look simple to a naked eye, the drawings combine different elements into one entity. While works like dinkgwana and Khoisan specifically shows the subject in a realistic detail, drawings like ‘silent meeting’ and ‘sunny Botswana’ is not quite clear until one sees the title.
The work from the two artists may be different categories of art using different mediums, but the visual tributary that runs through the gallery unifies the works. Even though the display is not randomised, visitors can navigate the place knowing that indeed drawing and sculpture makes a good combination.
Speaking at the opening night of the exhibition, the director of Thapong Visual Arts, Reginald Bakwena said the tributary exhibition comes at the right time because there is shortage of skill. “The area of sculpture is a huge challenge locally and it needs to be developed,” he said. Bakwena said by showcasing their artworks to the public, artists like Ndudzo and Motaung are helping to develop the arts in Botswana. He said artists should learn from the exhibition and see that wood and drawing are a good combination.
In an interview with Arts & Culture, Ndudzo said since a tributary is a stream or river that flows into and joins a main river, it was necessary for him to branch out and do something he does not normally do. He said it is always good for him to share his skills with the nation. “I need the feedback because I have managed to grow over the years from critics,” he said. Ndudzo said sometimes artists get out of their comfort zone no wonder he decided not to do abstract in his current work. He said as one of the first people to work in Thapong it was important to come back and show people what he has been working on. The Oodi-based Zimbabwean sculptor said he has managed to succeed in this area because he was comfortable with wood. “This exhibition is just the beginning,” he said.
Motaung told Arts & Culture that she likes to draw subjects that represent Botswana. “Sometimes I take pieces of elements that represent Botswana and put them together,” she said. Motaung said since it was her first exhibition she used various ornaments that speak Botswana in a loud volume. Motaung said she likes pencil and painting because the colours pop out. She said the work she exhibited was something she had compiled over the years. She highlighted that it was a great opportunity to exhibit alongside Ndudzo because it is an opportunity for her to market her work.