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Visual artists urged to create strong brands

Artists workshop PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
Artists workshop PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG

Amidst slow sales of their artworks and lack of market, local visual artists have been advised to create strong brands around themselves in order to explore and penetrate bigger international markets.

This came to the fore during a recent workshop held at the Thapong Visual Arts Centre. The workshop was organised by First National Bank Botswana Foundation (Riverwalk branch) through its Project-Kgodiso initiative to upskill artists’ business. While the workshop was an eye opener, it also shed light on the plight of visual artists in the country.

Fine artist and writer, Modirwa Kekwaletswe, who presented on The Brand as an Artist warned artists that their artwork represents their brands, as such they should create reputable brands in order to get return business. Kekwaletswe explained that when artists produce something great, the audience will be moved to accept it and likely to buy the product. He said in reinforcing one’s artistic reputation, artists are able to penetrate international markets and to ensure brand longevity on the market. “Often times, artists face a difficult choice of creating art to please themselves and creating art primarily for an existing market. But throughout this, artists should remember that your art is your brand, there is no separation. You are the brand. Be authentic and create the brand around yourself,” he advised.

Editor's Comment
Who watches the watchdog?

For a fact, in a democratic society such as Botswana, the media plays a crucial role of being watchdog, holding the powerful to account and exposing all possible wrongdoing for the benefit of the public.There has been a nagging question about who watches the watchdog after all? Perhaps, the investigations into alleged wrongful acts implicating those supposed to be playing the watchdog role will shed more light into what has happened such that the...

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