Lesejane’s exhibition explores photography as vessel of interpretation
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Thursday June 12, 2025 09:48
“Through the lens, nature speaks in light and shadow, but it is in the hands of the artist that the photograph breathes a new layer with texture, colour, and emotion. Realism softens, boundaries blur, and the spirit of the scene awakens in a symphony of mixed media. This is a dance between fidelity and freedom, between what is seen and what is felt. Photography, no longer confined to documentation, becomes a vessel for interpretation poetic fusion of the real and the re-imagined,” says Lesejane.
Themed ‘Of Landscapes and Fine Art: A Journey Beyond the Lens’, the exhibition opened from May 23 until August 23, 2025. The exhibition showcases cutting-edge landscape photography, featuring a diverse range of works.
A passionate traveler and adventurer, Lesejane told Arts&Culture that the exhibition showcases different techniques of photography in an artistic form, comprising landscape photographs as well as photographs with different techniques such as sugar overlay, glass overlay and light transfer.
“Landscapes were all photographed either during early morning or late afternoons in low light,” he explained. Lesejane said he draws inspiration from the diverse terrains he encounters, capturing not just images, but emotive narratives. Over time, he discovered a deeper artistic calling, for a fine art photography path that challenges conventional expectations and resists instant gratification in favour of slow, deliberate creation. Lesejane’s process transcends traditional photography. His artworks often begin with a photographic print, but are transformed through layers of mixed media; acrylics, watercolour, sugar overlays, even unconventional substances like turpentine, thinners, and hand sanitiser. His work, titled ‘Baobab Leathery Feel’, is a vivid example altered not with water, but with hand sanitizer to achieve its unique texture. In some of his landscape pieces, Lesejane employs tools such as neutral density filters to manipulate light and motion, crafting scenes that direct the viewer’s gaze intentionally.
His work challenges perception and stretches the boundaries of what photography can be, positioning him as a unique voice in Botswana’s contemporary art landscape. Through his exhibitions, Lesejane shares not just images, but emotions, processes, and stories inviting audiences into the layered, tactile world of fine art photography. “Where the eye once captured reality with obedient precision, a new vision now emerges, one where landscapes transcend their earthly forms. Here, photography becomes more than a mirror; it is a canvas where the tangible dissolves into the imagined,” he emphasised. “Through the lens, nature speaks in light and shadow, but it is in the hands of the artist that the photograph breathes a new layer with texture, color, and emotion. Realism softens, boundaries blur, and the spirit of the scene awakens in a symphony of mixed media. This is a dance between fidelity and freedom, between what is seen and what is felt. Photography, no longer confined to documentation, becomes a vessel for interpretation poetic fusion of the real and the re-imagined,” he added.
The exhibition is one of the initiatives between Thapong Visual Arts Centre and BIHL to empower local artists. BIHL Public Relations, Communications & Marketing Manager, Tebogo Keepetsoe said the BIHL Group Roving Art Gallery is a dynamic, mobile art exhibition initiative designed to profile and rent artwork from local artists across Botswana.
She said the platform empowers emerging and established creatives by giving their work visibility in high-traffic spaces, such as corporate offices. “The objective of this initiative is to empower local artists by providing income opportunities and increased exposure, celebrate Botswana’s cultural heritage and creativity through visual arts and enrich BIHL spaces and partner venues with rotating, vibrant local artwork,” Keepetsoe said. Furthermore, she explained that the exhibition creates sustainable art appreciation by engaging the community and corporate stakeholders.
“By turning walls into platforms and boardrooms into galleries, the BIHL Roving Art Gallery brings art into everyday life, bridging the gap between local talent and public appreciation, and making art a tool for economic and cultural empowerment,” she added. Commenting on the current exhibition, Thapong Coordinator, Reginald Bakwena, said this is a great opportunity to give a platform to artists from different disciplines to showcase their artworks. “Photography is part of fine art.
It needs to be given a platform for awareness purposes. Capturing memories through the lens is a way of creating an art piece. Pako is a photographer who is willing to challenge his way of thinking. He doesn’t only take steel pictures, but he manipulates them to give them a contemporary context,” said Bakwena. He added: “BIHL has created a platform or space to showcase artworks with the aim of encouragement and exposure. It’s a commendable development that the creative industry needs”.