Letsema exhibition: A spectacle of versatility, ingenuity
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Sunday October 22, 2023 06:00
The exhibition titled, Letsema, is Thabiso Ernest’s first-ever solo exhibition and it is a refreshing sight as the artist went all out to give viewers a satisfying consumption of his varying artwork collections from 2018.
Whilst most artists prefer to focus on one medium, Thabiso Ernest has gone all out to put up a simply revelling show of mixed media, which gives viewers an opportunity to marvel at his flexible approach to different subjects and themes. Mixed media is a variant of visual art that uses an assortment of mediums or materials to create a unified output.
The exhibition also reflects Thabiso Ernest’s boundless approach to his artwork. The Moshupa native has used goat leather, goat horns, fox tail, tshipa tail, seditse, paper clay, wire mesh, binding wire, acrylic, baskets, hardboard, canvas, phafana and wool among others from a catalogue that explores different themes. “I have these different ideas to explore, which is why I do mixed media. When COVID-19 hit, I couldn’t buy canvas hence I had to adapt and explore with new materials.
I started exploring paper clay, hardboard, goat leather, etc. I kind of had no choice but everything happened at the right time,” Thabiso Ernest explained. It is clear that the choice of most of these mediums is not by mistake as the artist is a very cultured individual who explores distinct cultural aesthetics experiences. Thabiso Ernest explained to Arts&Culture that the choice of the word letsema for his first solo exhibition resonates well with his origin and upbringing. “I am a cultural person.
I am a product of culture as I grew up in a cultural environment and always loved and appreciated Botswana culture. “I wanted to infuse part of me that’s cultural and part of me that’s modern. Letsema is a cultural practice and the name fits very well with my goal. I also believe that as artists, we can improve our art by infusing it with our fundamentals,” he said. Born in a family of four, Thabiso Ernest says his love for art has come a long way. “I have always loved art even before I knew I had the talent for it.
When I was young, my grandmother used to yell at me to stop drawing cars and trees as she wanted me to learn and write my name but I never cared because I loved art. At primary school, I drew animations (Supa Strikers, Dragon balls,, etc), and I was always tasked to draw diagrams which were to be posted on notice board for the class,” he said.
He says all this made him realise that he had the skills before he was taught, as such he believes art has always been a part of him. “I believe art has always been part of me and it was chosen for me by God because when I got to Junior school and we had to choose our electives. I chose Art as a third option but to my surprise art came as my chosen option.
That’s where everything started and my love for art grew,” he explained. Whilst his passion for Art grew, there were concerns that he was losing focus on other subjects as he dedicated all his time towards one subject. However, it turned out to be a beautiful journey as he did well and managed to amass 41 points in his BGCSE final examinations with an A* for Arts.
Thabiso Ernest says he would later make a regrettable decision when he quit Art to pursue his tertiary studies at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN). “It was the worst decision I’ve ever made. I lost a part of myself; I lost my self-esteem, confidence and personality. I got depressed because there was always this voice at the back of my mind telling me to go back to art, which I eventually did mid 2018. I quit school to venture fully into art,” he said. Thabiso Ernest said he wants to be the best and looks up to big artists such as Wilson Ngoni. He said because art helped him to heal, he creates artwork to express his feelings.
Furthermore, he says he does art to have fun and explore nature, culture and societal issues. The Letsema art exhibition opened on October 13 and ends on October 21. The thought-provoking exhibition was organised by MmaBotswana brand, a creative platform that identifies and promotes local talent to reach their full potential.