Mmegi

Kapeko in love with radiant illustrations

WhatsApp Image 2024-07-04 at 19.35.38 copy
WhatsApp Image 2024-07-04 at 19.35.38 copy

Local fine artist, Ditiro Kapeko, says his love for art is drawn from the desire to dig deep within his inner soul in order to share something unique about himself.

The 33-year-old budding artist, whose illustrations are magnificent to see, explains that as an introvert, he believes it is God’s gift to be able to express his emotions. He believes art is purposeful while simultaneously it is more than just about making money. The beauty behind his illustrations is that it is more than what you see on canvas as the images portray his inner thoughts. As a result, one can safely say Kapeko is living by the saying, “choose a job you love and you will not have to work a single day of your life”. “What truly inspires me is being able to dig deep within myself and share something unique about myself. “As an introvert it’s a gift to be expressing myself through art. It’s more than just making art for money,” he says in an interview. Sharing his journey with Arts&Culture, the Tsabong-born artist said he has been interested in art since he was a child. “But I recently started doing it full-time in 2022,” he says.

Due to his love for the arts, Kapeko reveals he found himself going all out to learn about what it entails. He says he is self-taught and developed his talent through research. To him, the need to create for an artist is stronger than anything and goes beyond himself. “I started doing my own research and developed my art style in 2018. I started with drawings and sketches then got into graphic design as an illustrator. I visited the library often to do my research whether online platforms and art books,” Kapeko states. All this led to venturing into the world of business as he is currently the proud owner of a Gaborone-based business called Raw Crafts, which focuses on graphic design and doubles as an art studio.

Like many entrepreneurs, starting and running a business has not been easy because of a lack of knowledge and experience but he has persevered and sees a bright future. “As I’m still building my business, opportunities are looking promising and so the journey is a lot more enjoyable now because I get to wake up and make art, which is truly a blessing. “And I am much excited to make the world a lot more colourful and joyful; having to share my art with people is just so priceless,” he explains. “It’s therapy for me because with whatever emotion, I’m experiencing at the moment, I am able to let out on my illustrations. To be honest, I want to see my artworks displayed in national museums and international museums and host art exhibitions and collaborate with fellow artists,” he says. Kapeko also wants to travel the world attending overseas exhibitions and sharing knowledge with the younger generation of artists in Botswana. He believes Botswana has amazing artists who deserve to show the world their talent.

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