For Moleboge Mokgosi, a self-taught visual artist, her main interest is to capture the Setswana culture in a contemporary way. As such, she wants to encapsulate her culture through the gaze of a young Kalanga woman that she is. Mokgosi’s art focuses mainly on illustrative drawings, acrylic paintings and digital art. She said her artwork plays with the material culture of Batswana and depicts the nostalgic enamelware in a playful and humourous manner. “I grew up around a creative family and I was inspired by my big brother who studied art at Naledi Senior Secondary School. Going through his portfolio, I just wanted to be exactly like him.
I am a self-taught artist, although I did take up an art class at Madiba Senior Secondary School. I was initially rejected from Art class because of my inexperience but I decided to attend anyway and learnt by observing other students. Art is my passion and I believe it’s an excellent career path for any creative who wants to share their art with the world,” she explained. So far, she said the reception of her work has been amazing. She added that Batswana are her biggest supporters adding that she would not be there without them. She added that she had a digital piece called ‘Magwinya’ that had really stood out saying it represented her humourous side, which was by far one of her favourite pieces.
Furthermore, she said her biggest challenge is being put in a position where she had to defend her decision to choose art as a career. She added that there were many successful Batswana artists who went through the same issue saying being an emerging artist, she was inspired to keep her head up, focus and create. She also said her biggest achievement included being surrounded by amazing Batswana women who were also visual artists during her internship at the Difficult Women exhibition back in 2020. “I learnt valuable lessons from the artists, that experience is the reason I am here today and I am forever grateful,” she said.
She added that she believed visual artists had the responsibility of cultivating the industry for the next generation of creatives. “With the pace and trajectory that my work is going, I see it giving future creatives the platform to be more confident and put themselves out there. Art is my main source of income and it’s what I do for a living. I work a lot with local brands and I found a way of balancing my own work with the commissions. My advise to aspiring artists is, be fearless. Find what gives you the most excitement and do it with all your heart without thinking about the end result. Be true to yourself and your story because integrity is important in the art industry,” she ended.
