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About The Artist

Artist Photo

Mokgabudi Amos Letsoalo was born in 1969 in Molepo vilage, Lompopo Province. He claims that he was inspired by his mother's decorave, traditional African paintings done with earth pigments on the walls of their house. He use to help with these paintings.

"My work is mostly inspired by indigenous people (in Africa) and their lifestyle. I find the household of the indigenous people in Africa very interesting, the objects/still lifes that one finds in every household. You either find objects like clay pots, some old bottles (which in many case are inherited from our ancestors to store traditional medicines and herbs).

I have my own perspective of what still life looks like to me as an African.

I am appropriating indigenous vocabulary, in imagery, use of colour and language in my painting. I am at the same time not doing realistic images, but I am trying to create the realistic feeling. You will always find images of bottles, pots, cups, etc. I call this process 'painting and looking at the still life from an African perspective'."

Workshops attended

  • Thupelo International Artists' Workshop - 1995 (Cape Town)
  • Thapong International Artists' Workshop - 1996 (Gaborone)
  • The Gas Works art studios. (London - UK)

    Major exhibitions

  • Hong Kong 1997 - Group show
  • Germany (Munich) 1997 - Group show
  • New Signatures 1996 - Pretoria and Johannesburg
  • Future Prospects 1996 - Newtown Gallery
  • Trans Figurative 1998 - AVA Gallery, Cape Town
  • Botswana National Gallery - Group show
  • The Royal Festival Hall (London, UK) 1998 - Group show
  • AVA Gallery 2000 - Group Show
  • The Bill Ainslie Gallery (Johannesburg) 2000 - Two-man show
  • Washington DC 2001 - Group show

    Major collections

  • The Nelson Mandela Foundation.
  • The Polokwane Art museum (Limpopo Province)
  • South African National Gallery, Cape Town
  • South African High Commission, London, UK
  • Botswana National Art Gallery, Gaborone
  • South African Embassy, Berlin, Germany
  • and many more in private collection around the world.


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