Artist's statement:

Since my move from the city to a more rural area in 2004, things have changed drastically. I think while I was in the city I became more detached from the original place that shaped my soul, and I looked back at my origins with a peculiar eye that probed for certain truths and phobias - thus my then persistent theme of initiation rituals. Now that I have moved back, I've once again become apart of that rural community, a society in which I just seem to jell, and it has now become even difficult for me to detach myself like I use to.

My painting is transformed in many ways. I start with a conscious play of image that barely suggests anything literal, until at a later stage some form of distant narrative starts to take shape. Mostly I link what I see on the format to open-ended social comments. I'm currently fascinated by broken lines of communication resulting from various stereotypes. I see the confusion between people from all levels and backgrounds as having to do with certain common human eras inspired by strange stereotypes.

Biography:

Education and Training

University of the Witwatersrand
     Certificate: Internship Course (June, 2002)
     Master of Arts in Heritage Studies (2001-)
     Majors:
     Tourism and Developmental Studies
     Environmental Studies
     Public Culture Studies
     Research Report (pending)

University of the Witwatersrand
     Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (1996-2000)
     Special Awards:
     Certificate of Merit: Outstanding Results in Drawing & Design III (1998)
     Certificate of First Class: Painting IV (1999)

Johannesburg Art Foundation
     Certificate in Art Foundation Course (1992-1994)

Tladishi High School
     Matric-1989

Exhibitions

     JHB Art Foundation-1994
     Martienssen, University of the Witwatersrand-1998 & 1999
     ABSA Gallery, Johannesburg-2000
     UNISA Art Gallery-2000
     Malangatana in South Africa, Sandton Civic Gallery-2000
     Bill Ainslie Art Gallery-2000
     Klein Karoo National Arts Festival-2000
     Museum Africa Gallery-2001
     The Art Space Gallery-2001
     Art On Paper Gallery-2002 (April & August)
     Klein Karoo National Arts Festival-2002
     Gallery On The Square, "Nga Ya Fsa" : Sandton-2002 (Group Show)
     Axis Gallery, New York, "Circumcised/Circumscribed" - January 2003 (Group Show)
     Art Space, Johannesburg - January 2003 (Group Show)
     Johannesburg Art Gallery, "Show Me Home" : 5 April - 25 May 2003 (Group Show)
     Gallery On The Square, Sandton, "A New Collection" : 28 June - 12 July 2003 (Group Show)
     NSA Gallery, Durban : "Tsa Ka Mafuri": 19 August - 7 September 2003 (Solo Show)
     ABSA L' Atelier Competition Exhibition 2004
     Brett Kebble Awards Exhibition 2004
     Boston, Smithsonian, Gibbs Museum, Detroit - United States (Traveling Show):
     "A Decade of Democracy: Witnessing South Africa": 2004 - 2005 (Group Show)
     "The ID of South African Artists" - Amsterdam, Holland: 2004 - 2005 (Group Show)
     South African National Gallery, Cape Town, "A Decade of Democracy: South African Art 1994 - 2004
     from the Permanent Collection - 2004 (Group Show)
     Gallery On The Square, Sandton, "Tsa Bagale": 6 - 31 October 2004 (Solo Show)
     Johannesburg Art Gallery, "Making Waves" (A selection of works from the SABC art collection):
     November 2004 - February 2005 (Group Show)
     Johannesburg Art Gallery, "Negotiated Identities, Black Bodies": 24 October 2004 - 2 January 2005 (Group Show)
     Brett Kebble Awards Exhibition 2005
     ABSA L' Atelier Competition Exhibition 2005
     Sasol New Signatures Competition Exhibition 2005
     Migrations Culturelles, Bordeaux , France: "Les arts de la Coexistence?": September 2005 (Group Show)
     Médiathèque, Biarritz, France: "Les arts de la Coexistence?": November 2005 (Group Show)
     Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy: 3 - 11 December 2005
     Alliance Francaise, Paris, France: "Les arts de la Coexistence?": January 2006 (Group Show)
     Musee des Arts Derniers, Paris, France: "Les arts de la Coexistence?": February 2006 (Group Show)
     KZNSA Gallery, Durban: "New Painting": 30 March - 23 April 2006 (Group Show)
     Unisa Art Gallery, Pretoria: "New Painting": 9 May - 2 June 2006 (Group Show)
     DAK' ART, Senegal: 1 - 10 May 2006
     Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg: "New Painting": 23 July - 3 September 2006 (Group Show)
     AVA, Cape Town: "Mmawaka-Montedi": 16 October - 10 November 2006 (Solo Show)

Collections

     University of the Witwatersrand
     SASOL Limited
     NEDCOR Bank
     MTN Corporation
     BHP Billiton (Gencor)
     South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
     Johannesburg Art Gallery
     E. Oppenheimer & Sons
     Stanlib
     The Mandela Foundation
     De Beers
     The South African National Gallery
     Durban Art Gallery
     YSA
     IBM
     3M
     African Life
     Daniel Erasmus Attorneys

Selected Publications

2006
     Virginia Mackenny, 'Painting ourselves out of a corner' in Storm Janse Van Rensburg (ed), New Painting:
      A group exhibition of recent South African art (Kwazulu Natal Society of Arts: Durban)

2005
     Sean O' Toole, 'Animist Voice' in Art South Africa, Vol 4, No. 2, Summer

2004
     Gary van Wyk (ed), A Decade of Democracy: Witnessing South Africa, catalogue
     (Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, Boston)
     Moleleki Frank Ledimo in Sophie Perryer (ed), 10 Years 100 Artists: Art in a Democratic South Africa
     (Bell-Roberts Publishing & Struik Publishers, Cape Town)
     Moleleki Frank Ledimo, 'Rites of Passage: Refiguring initiation' in Emma Bedford (ed), A Decade of Democracy:
     Contemporary South African Art 1994 - 2004 from the permanent Collection of Iziko: South African National Gallery
     (Double Storey, Cape Town)

2003
     Tumelo Mosaka, 'Circumcised/Circumscribed' in Art South Africa, Vol 1, No. 3, Autumn

Artist Residencies

     Cavershim Press, KZN, South Africa, 2004
     McColl Center for Visual Arts: Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A. January - March 2005
     Cavershim Press, KZN, South Africa. September - October