Monageng�s art tells the story of Tlokweng
Thato Kala | Friday April 4, 2014 11:58
And the young artist believes this comes at the right time as he prepares for an exhibition at Alliance Française next month. The concept, he says, is inspired by street culture. “I grew up in the streets of Tlokweng and if you are familiar with activities around Tlokweng you will be able to identify with the message behind the artworks,” he says. The 22-year-old bemoans what he calls a ‘cultural shift’ that is taking place in Tlokweng and hopes his art will ‘knock some sense into a few heads’.
“The people of Tlokweng used to be so rooted in their culture. This cultural shift that we see taking place, especially in the younger generation, has brought a lot of change. That’s the story behind the series I will display at a joint exhibition next month,” says the former Tlokweng JSS student.
Perhaps, the one picture that will likely set tongues wagging is that of a young fellow carrying a bottle of alcohol, giving his ‘baby momma’ some money. He then heads towards a group of ‘ladies of the night’. “This is quite a common scene in our village. I know this picture may seem prickly to some but it depicts the truth,” he says. The talented artist claims Tlokweng has the highest number of prostitutes and warns the younger generation to engage in noble things.
And one painting that relays that advice is that of a young schoolgirl holding a book, studying.
“You have a few young people that genuinely want to make it in life and they work very hard towards that. My desire is that this would inspire someone to get their act together and prepare well for their future,” he says. Monageng, who hopes to start a family some day, has titled his other image Showing Love. The idea behind the image is to say when one has messed up in life, they ought to take responsibility and give the best to those closer to them. The painting shows a young man who has a baby with a young girl out of wedlock. He embraces the baby in a loving way.
“I was simply saying take responsibility – we have seen so many fathers that shy away from responsibility, not only in Tlokweng, but in other parts of the country. The habit of guys running away from responsibility must come to an end,” says the painter. Monageng reiterates his appreciation for mothers, single-handedly been raised by his late mother. He credits his talent and passion for art to his late mother, whom he says was overly supportive. He attributes the social ills bedevilling Tlokweng and the rest of society to alcohol.
“There is a lot of alcohol binging in Tlokweng, and it saddens me that children as young as 14 are already drinking and doing all sorts of things. I have always wanted my art to affect people and ensure their lives change,” he says.
He describes his May 6 exhibition as The Game Changer. He will jointly exhibit with Isabel Laurent, a South African photographer based in Botswana for the last 11 years.
Monageng has seen Laurent’s works and stands convinced that they blend well with his.
He believes his type of art is similar to photography. He says: “The only difference is that I do my photography manually while she uses a camera. I think they will blend in well.” He is convinced his work has grown over the years. His other pieces for the exhibition are The View, which is about a state of mind. The message behind the piece is that what the mind can conceive, one can achieve. Monageng will also display a piece that celebrates Black History Month, annually observed in the United States in remembrance of important people and events in the history of African diaspora.
“The main inspiration to me for painting this is that a dream is one’s gateway to freedom. I decided to do portraits of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr in demonstration that everything started off as a dream, but effort had to be applied for the dream to be realised,” he says.
He will also showcase a piece titled Surprise and explains that he was just playing with paint when he did it. Moody is another of his artworks and says he was feeling low when he did it.
He says his strength lies in studying other artists’ artworks to pick a few aspects and improve on his own.