Afro Geek Fest is a celebration of talent in the local geek community featuring art, comics, animation, video games, cosplay, VR/XR, and a whole lot more from award-winning creators in Mzansi and beyond. The mega event will be held at Uncle Tom’s Hall in Soweto, SA from May 25 to 26.
Tehlai X told Arts&Culture that the organisers of the event contacted her after they came across her works on Instagram. She went on to say that the festival's organisers had mentioned that the majority of her work is related to the event's theme.
"I usually share my artwork or hand-painted merchandise on social media, along with videos and the finished product, which has drawn a lot of interest from both domestic and foreign customers," she said.
Tehlai X revealed that in addition to exhibiting five pieces of her artwork during the festival, she will be selling merchandise. The 30-year-old stated that the inspiration for these pieces was taken mainly from social media engagements with the fans. "Since the event revolves around anime, video games, cosplay, animation, and so much more, I wanted to find out what the general public finds most interesting. I wanted to expand my choices, even though I personally adore anime," the gifted artist continued.
She explained that anime is a visual feast that transcends ordinary animation through its artistry and storytelling. The beauty of anime lies in its incredible diversity and the meticulous attention to detail in its character design and vibrant worlds, she added. According to Tehlai X, every frame is frequently a work of art, with ornate backgrounds bringing everything from the fantastical to the every day in life.
The talented artist draws inspiration from the variations in character designs found in each anime, which has greatly influenced the pieces' artistic approach. She added that she is looking forward to meeting other visual artists from the region, networking, getting to know and appreciate their art, and learning what challenges they face. The gifted artist also stated that most of her inspiration comes from other artist's works and said she is bound to be inspired by everyone's pieces. She also hoped to broaden her clientele during the festival. Tehlai X started doing art in 2014 and was into photography, which then led her to continue sketching different elements.
“Throughout the years my style has changed so much and continues to change, but I can safely say I enjoy doing mixed media. In an art piece, I'll either use two or more different mediums or art styles so I think that's what gives my work a unique touch,” she said.
According to Tehlai X, she is a huge fan of contemporary art, realism, abstract art, and pop art. Some artists' works that inspire her own are those from Neo Matloga, Sara Golish, and Penny Burton. She thanked the Batswana Creatives Whatsapp group for continuing to support her artistic endeavours.
"By sharing each other's works on social media and informing one another about grants, events, exhibitions, and art residencies, we all help one another out. Given how difficult it is to sell visual art in Botswana, one would think that artists would gate-keep opportunities, but this is not the case," she thanked the group.
