Uhuru Kgope the reigning Thapong artist of the year

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Friday April 9, 2010 00:00

 

Interestingly, this writer got to see some of the versatile artist's works before actually meeting him in person and he has never disappointed as his pieces are not only pleasing to the eye but are thought-provoking as well.

Art connoisseurs will most certainly remember Kgope's Icons Of Mogoditshane, which depicts the notorious goats of the village that are said to be capable of crossing roads at zebra crossings baffling many in the process. The same goats are also known for having a liking for cooked leftovers and these traits have made them to be compared to human beings no wonder the painter decided to use them as the subject of his works. So popular was the piece that it was bought pronto at an exhibition, despite the fact that it cost several hundreds of Pula. Then there is another piece called Baby Shower, which showcases a showerhead with dolls hanging from it held by plastic strings, which most certainly had art critics talking.

There is no doubt that the artist is a cut above the rest and the many awards that he has won over the years have cemented that fact. Arts & Culture caught up with the youthful Kgope at his home in Naledi Secondary School, which one could describe as a mini-studio.

The artist comes across as someone who is fiercely private preferring to divulge few details about his personal life.This giant of a man says that unlike most of his peers, he is into conceptual art, which is 'more engaging'. Although the artist is soft-spoken, he is very vocal when it comes to the state of the arts in Botswana, which he says is pathetic.

'The problem with our artists here is that they do not want to explore new concepts. Most of them just prefer to use paint and canvas and then they call themselves artists, which is sad,' he says.

Although the artist says that he is happy with the fact that government has decided to commission artists to supply government departments with artworks, he is worried that some charlatans have abused the arrangement by selling sub-standard pieces to the unsuspecting officers. His other concern is that since buyers from government are not trained in the visual arts, it might be impossible for them to discern good works from bad ones, getting ripped off by the fraudsters in the process.

Kgope told Arts & Culture that despite the fact that he is currently Thapong Artist of the Year and that he is highly regarded amongst his peers, he is still struggling to sell his works to government departments because he suspect that buyers from government do not understand his approach.  Like most artists, when he was more into representational art in the beginning, but since moving to South Africa, where he read for his honours degree in Fine Arts, he started making conceptual art using unconventional materials and more often than not, his works address social issues as well as everyday events.

Kgope says that he likes South African artists because their works are exploratory and they address different issues such as feminism and identity. In the international landscape, the award-winning artist says that he finds Chinese art quite impressive. The painter points out that his research has shown him that Chinese art is doing well at international auctions and that if Batswana artists wanted to improve their craft, they should look to the Far East.  He expressed concern that local artists are not good when it comes to concepts and that has stalled their advancement.

'The thing about art in Botswana is that we do not have an art language,' he lamented.

Currently, the artist is working on pieces that he plans to use at the forthcoming exhibition at Thapong where he will share the platform with South Africa-based Motswana artist, Same Mdluli. Kgope took Arts & Culture on a tour of his mini-studio and discussed some of the works that he is currently working on. One of the works is inspired by Auguste Rodin's The Thinker sculpture.

'I asked a janitor at our school to pose for me just like The Thinker and I came up with this piece,' said the artist adding that he has used the same man to pose for a number of pieces. The artist is working on another piece that looks set to be a winner and it showcases a woman reflecting on her husband's campaign during World War II. Yet another untitled piece depicts cattle and leteise/ jeremane and the artist pointed out that cattle form the integral part of Batswana's life as a saying goes, 'Ka e rua a tlhoka boroko, ka e tlhoka ka tlhoka boroko'.  

The artist comes from Metsimotlhabe and he was orphaned at a young age; so he was raised by his grandmother. He first noticed that he had talent when he won an art competition while doing Standard Seven at Ikageng Primary School in Gaborone.  Back then, he only did art in the afternoons to while away time with fellow-schoolmates and it was while he was doing his Junior Certificate (JC) at Marang CJSS that he did art as a subject and he continued with his winning streak. It was at Gaborone Senior Secondary (GSS) where he took art seriously and learnt that he could actually make a livelihood out of the discipline.

After secondary education, he proceeded to Molepolole College of Education (MCE) where he pursued a Diploma in Education majoring in Art. Kgope's eyes brimmed with pride when he told Arts & Culture that he was the only art student who passed with a distinction in the year that he graduated at the University of Johannesburg where he read for his honours' degree. He names Ugandan, Santo Ociti as one individual who has greatly inspired him as an artist.