Legends, novices showcase at Main, Octagon galleries
| Friday September 26, 2014 16:16
The exhibitions, categorised into works of legends and children’s, opened on September 12 and are scheduled to run until October 12.
Artworks by legends on display at the Museum’s Main Gallery show a lot of maturity. This owing to the fact that they are works of professional artists who have been in the visual arts industry for a long time. Some of the artists have even served as mentors for younger artists and have influenced their works in one way or another.
One of the interesting pieces on display is Keeme Mosinyi’s acrylic on paper montage, portraying Setswana homesteads.
The painting to some may seem a bit loaded in that it contains a little bit of this and that, which form part of Setswana culture and heritage.
The far left corner of the artwork has a number of wild animals found in Botswana, and a bit of vegetation. The animals include a large elephant, gemsbok, impala, ostrich and zebra.
The painting also features traditional dance, which will most definitely catch an observer’s eye because the women are clad in true traditional dance attire, comprising of phae (short fronted skirt, specifically used for traditional dance), beads, and rattles.
The women as traditional dancers used to do in the olden days are bare breast something which western nations may see as weird, but this is one of the aspects that form part of Setswana culture.
This, however, is not to be confused as traditional Tswana attire, as it is used strictly for dancing.
The painting also features Setswana traditional huts, cattle, sorghum, watermelons, men having a meeting at a kgotla, and women doing traditional chores, including grinding sorghum using a mortar and pestle, among others.
Mosinyi’s art is quite easy to relate to and takes one down memory lane. His other piece is a mixed media painting showing an abandoned homestead (matlotla). Every Motswana who grew up in the village or has visited them before can relate to the painting because they would have at some point in their lifetime come across matlotla in their home village.
The homes sometimes end up as shelter for tamed animals. Mosinyi is one of Botswana’s renowned artists, whose works speak volumes.
He has been engaged by Botswana Post in the past to design stamps, which he started doing in the late ‘70s.
The exhibition is not only celebrating legends who are still alive as it also features works of departed one, which including works by popular artist Dada (Coex’ae Qgam). She was born in Ghantsi in 1934 and died in 2008.
The exhibition has her lino monoprint on paper piece titled Tchoba Tree, which was done in 2001.
Another departed legend whose works are on display at the exhibition, is Rantefe Mothebe, who died early this year.
At the time of his passing he had been an artist for 32 years. At some point in time he had a stall at Thapong Visual Arts Centre. Some of his artworks hang in government offices.
One of his pieces on display at the museum is an acrylic on canvas painting titled In The Mine, which of course shows what takes place in a mine, including equipment used by miners. The other one is Lelwapa, which shows a traditional Setswana yard with huts. Other artists whose works are on display at the museum include Vilias Ndaba, Ann Gollifer, Phillip Segola and many others.
Artworks by students, on display at the Museum Octagon Gallery, are also very interesting. The children’s exhibition features dolls, representing different tribes found in Botswana like Baherero, cars designed using wires, wooden sculptures, and games such as mmele and scotch.
The exhibition is one of the many activities organised by The Botswana 50th Anniversary of Independence Celebration Unit under the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture.