Spotlight on Selemela in SA
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday September 22, 2025 06:00
The art fair, which was held from September 5- 7, featured the work of TBP members, Kim Karabo Makin, Rrangwane, Thebe Phetogo and Thero Makepe. These artists work across various mediums, including photography, sculpture, digital collage, and painting. During the fair, TBP Artist Collective's booth presented a body of work loosely themed around the idea of ‘Selemela’, as an extension of their presentation at RMB Latitudes Art Fair 2025 (where they formed a part of the Botswana Focus Special Project). The body of work is rooted in Setswana knowledge systems and archives, informing the collective's practice. ‘Selemela’ refers to the Pleiades star cluster, which in Setswana and other regional cultures signals the start of the ploughing season — a time of renewal and transformation. This metaphor speaks to the role of TBP as a collective: in both cultivating and archiving Botswana’s contemporary artistic voice, addressing gaps in representation within local and international art spaces. In this way, they presented TBP as a constellation of individual artists forming a singular entity, with the audience as an essential, unseen element that completes the work.
The interplay between visibility and obscurity — like the ‘missing’ seventh star in the Pleiades- reflected the nuances of collective practice, national identity, and the broader presence (or absence) of Botswana’s contemporary art in global dialogues. Reflecting on the experience of showcasing at the art fair, Phetogo said it felt like a significant step in the right direction.) Phetogo is a painter based in Gaborone, Botswana. In his work, the sphere of painting and its vast history and conventions act as a stand-in for history and the world at large. “Showing at FNB Art Joburg with TBP was really special. It was both an affirming and energising experience. As TBP, we have been working together for years now to create space for artists from Botswana, so being present at one of the continent’s most established fairs felt like a significant step in that direction,' said Phetogo. Makin said the event exposed their work to a whole new market. “Having gained notable momentum in recent years, Botswana’s creative development continues to broaden with much recognition from the South African art market. Building off of the support we received from RMB Latitudes Art Fair 2025 (through the Botswana Focus Special Project) to FNB Art Joburg 2025, I feel this experience was exceptional in promoting our growth as TBP, both as a collective and as a platform nurturing young creative Batswana,” Makin said.
Makin is a multidisciplinary artist and occasional DJ. Much of her work is informed by a lived sense of displacement and multiculturalism, with particular attention to the role that context plays in identity formation. She has an emphasis on cultural value, archival histories, and a unique spatial awareness. Makepe is a multimedia artist born and raised in Gaborone, but lives between Gaborone, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. Makepe engages historical events to explore the liminal spaces between collective and personal memory, foregrounded by his own lyrical and spiritual sensibilities. Rrangwane is an indigenous cultural practitioner who uses transdisciplinary approaches to navigate the spectrum of decolonisation, neuroqueering, and re-indigenisation of the personal and political black self. They primarily work with digital photography and video art.