06 Jul 2022

Three Maun-based fine artists have partnered to stage a month long art exhibition at The Space Botswana Art Gallery and Creative Hub in Matlapana ward.

The exhibition themed Artistic Reflection of the Delta and its People would open its doors to members of the public on July 13 until August 11. 

The exhibitors are Katongo Chisenga, Roger Brown and Pako Molebatsi.

Chisenga said in an interview on Tuesday that the purpose of the exhibition was to educate communities about the importance of visual arts and the value they added to their lives.

The exhibition, he said, would also provide a platform for them to share ideas, help each other to grow in the industry and penetrate local and international markets.

Most artists, he said, worked in silos, which resulted in some remaining stagnant and disgruntled when they encountered challenges.

He said teaming up would be an advantage to finding solutions.

Through the theme, Chisenga said they intended to depict different cultures and lifestyles of communities in Ngamiland. 

The district, he said, was also home to wildlife and some of their artworks would showcase certain species found in the Okavango Delta. He appealed to members of the public to grace the event and support local artworks. 

He also appreciated support from government departments.

Meanwhile, the host who is also founder and managing director of The Space Botswana Art Gallery and Creative Hub, Atang Arnold said the trio had been working hard since beginning of the year to have a solid collection for July.

While some artists painted for fun, she appreciated that the trio took their work seriously to improve their lives and their families adding that the artists found inspiration in people, wildlife and the delta landscape surrounding them.

Giving the artists brief backgrounds, Arnold noted that Brown was an international artist who had lived in Botswana for years and his work had been bought and collected by people from all over the globe.

“He enjoys using pen, pencil, water-color and acrylics but paints predominantly in oils and his interest is in capturing the village life found in rural areas of Botswana,” explained Arnold.

He said Chisenga, originally from Zambia, had been staying in Maun for years and this influenced his work as evidenced by his paintings of the traditional dugout canoe depicting local scenes in the delta.

Molebatsi’s work was mostly on portrait paintings with local people and African wildlife, said Anorld. Ends