Continuing on from the Montenegro post, researching an artist for Botswana has proved challenging for me. Botswana artists fly under the radar of Google searches and Instagram sleuthing. It seems that Botswana art is more of a local scene, instead engaging communities through events and exhibitions. One of these galleries is The Space Botwana. It not only hosts exhibitions but also workshops and residencies. It’s also in a shipping container! Visitors and thus able to view art outside of the confines of the white cube. Botswana Designers is another organisation that host exhibitions and art events. Artcase Gallery seeks to empower local artists in their practice.
I prefer to focus more on artists that represent an aspect of life in their country as a whole. My chosen artist focuses on the people of Botwana, particularly those of local tribes.
Images of Local Botswana People
Much of Oteng Keabetswe’s work is portraiture representing the people of Botswana. We get to see their traditional dress and their daily scenes through his work. He connects well with his subject, as he captures their personality in his images.
He is an artist that merges the real with the surreal. Though some of his work focuses on people, unlike many charcoal artists, he goes beyond realist renderings. From abstract shapes in his portraits to dream-like scenes, much of his work pushes the limits of reality.
Drawing With Charcoal
Keabetswe’s medium of choice is charcoal. He is very skilled at this medium, creating drawings that resemble photographs. His pencilwork is so delicate that not a single detail is missed. The charcoal allows him to create high contrast images which in turn produce a more striking effect. In his more surrealist works, the charcoal serves to present more dramatic images.
Adding Colour
He also sometimes uses acrylics in his work, which break up the black and white images with bright colours. These are my favourite pieces of his. The shape of his subjects remain, but elements of the image are distorted. His subject seemingly enters an alternative space. Resembling cubism, his compositions take on carefully considered shapes. Making up pieces of our identity, they reflect on the complexity of life.
Keabetswe’s work embeds itself heavily in the Botswana community. Depicting the lives of local people, it draws our attention what it means to be Botswana, and more than that, human. His artworks are impressively detailed, and as a result we gain a stronger connection to the subject. He draws on cubism when navigating identity and surrealism to create dream-like scenes. He is definitely an artist to follow as he further develops his style.
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