19 Aug 2018

Twenty-eight-year-old Ofelwe Gaotsenelwe of Tutume has converted the artistic streak running through his family line into a thriving sculpturing business.

The fifth in a family of seven siblings, Gaotsenelwe said his love for the arts was cultivated into him from childhood as he grew up in a family of artistic individuals.

“Some of my siblings are very artistic. Although he is now a driver, the first born used to carve sculptures out of wood, the second born is an art teacher whilst the third was an art teacher as well but has now ventured into Information Technology and lastly, my sister who is a police officer has the ability to use her imagination and memory of recall to create drawings,” he said.

He stated that his mother was well known in the village for her handcrafts and knitting abilities.

Growing up in a household that embraced art, he said fueled his interest and sparked his curiosity and it therefore came as no surprise that throughout his schooling, he always chose the subject of art.

By the time he got to senior secondary level, his talents had matured to the point where he began assisting his teachers in teaching his peers, he said.

Completing his Form Five in 2009 at McConnell Community College, Gaotsenelwe unfortunately did not perform well enough to proceed to tertiary level but he was determined not to allow this turn of events to deter him from realising his vision of being successful through his talent.

Gaotsenelwe said he persevered with a positive attitude that made him realise that failure in school did not mean he was a failure in life.

In 2010 he began to pursue his passion for the arts and started working as an artist, specialising in designing and printing of t-shirts.

However, business was difficult because orders were few and far apart which meant he could not afford the materials required for his work. He was forced to close the business. 

The struggling artist resorted to looking for a job and eventually landed one as a driver based in Orapa. A year later he resigned to return to his passion. 

In 2014 he dedicated himself to becoming a full-time artist and has never looked back.

At present, Gaotsenelwe is a committed artist who takes pleasure in challenges which he says enables him to be a step ahead of other artists.

He thrives on going where others would not dare because of fear of the unknown.

As an example, he says numerous artists preferred using newspaper and wire in their sculptures whereas cement and wire were materials of his choice.

Constructing a sculpture using cement is a complex process, he says explaining that If cement was used in excess, it would compromise the wire skeleton causing it to topple over.

The opposite would render it unable to withstand harsh environmental factors and it would break, he said adding it was imperative that the sculpture was accurately proportioned.

He believes art is a powerful communication tool.

“Art should come alive, whether on paper or as a sculpture. My sculptures should look like they are ready to attack!” he said adding, “through my sculptures I want people to see a real life replica of wild animals. They have to get the same experience they would in a game park. I am able to get this reaction through ensuring that my sculptures are as detailed as possible”.

The young man says although sculpturing was far from easy, it was rewarding to successfully complete a sculpture. ENDS