Bogosibokae Otsetswe: His Story!

Botswana Wed 01-11-2006

Bogosibokae Otsetswe: His Story!
By Mokeira Masita

Mystery, excitement, all these adjectives describe one of Botswana’s bright artistic sons. Bogosibokae Otsetswe is one artist who believes in his own dogma, and he puts it succinctly “I let my audience search for themselves, I will not give it all away, the audience is not stupid”.

Bogosibokae Otsetswe is as an artist with 15 years artistic experience under his ‘brush’. He likes telling his story and at Thapong Visual Art Centre, he told the audience a story, his story and he told it like it is!

^{Artist Bogosibokae Otsetswe}

His exhibition under the theme Our Story II was a celebration of a portion of his creative life albeit a small one, 3 - 4 years, this was a highlight of achievements of his life. His work will be on from May 20-June 10 at Thapong.

His paintings depict real life situations and just like artists the world over, he draws inspiration from his surroundings. Bogosibokae likes working with women as his medium of artistic communication and expression. Most of his paintings are of women, whom he says are very strong and expressive. “Women understand society”, he opines.

After a one-one with Bogosibokae one immediately picks up an element of reality. That he is true to himself, his work, and that he is an embodiment of sheer artistry is not in doubt. The kind of art he has identified with is one that his local audience can relate to.

He is into expressionism and realism and avoids abstract art because, in his own words “ I believe it is a way through which an artist runs away from something, I also believe for an artist to have the abstract art tag to their name they need to have worked hard , sweat and earned it”, he said.

Go ka tweng is one of the paintings which Bogosibokae’s identifies with most closely. The painting depicts young ladies in thongs with strings sticking out of their pants and elders watching with worry and dissatisfaction.

It depicts the way society is changing and this new direction does not seem to make the elders happy. The fact that people do not seem to dress appropriately inspired this painting.

This Fontbonne University, USA, graduate has taken part in several exhibitions. In 1991, he was voted for top entries UNICEF child rights. In 1997 he was voted the best painting artist in a Botswana exhibition.

In 1998 he held several exhibitions including a solo exhibition at Fontbonne University Art Gallery, Harrays Cassino gallery-USA, African Arts Festival in USA and several others both locally and internationally.

The expression ‘art his life and art is living’ quite aptly sums up and captures this Lotsane Senior Secondary School teacher’s thinking and approach to art.

Posted By: African Colours

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