13 Feb 2025

Normally, visual artists express themselves through painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture; but one artist from Mozambique brings a complex expression to communicate.

Faizal Ussumane Matequenha, who has been in art residency at Thapong Visual Arts Centre since December, showcased his unique sculptures as his residency comes to an end mid-February.

Matequenha’s complex art pieces combine diverse natural and recycled materials including clay, animal skins, and fur to create innovative musical instruments expressions, hence the exhibition name ‘Acustics'.

Unique and perhaps different and new to Botswana art, Matequenha’s expressions also depict his spirituality.

“I am deeply spiritual and once you are African your work connects with your Africanness and through my work I bring stories from our ancestral lineage which our ancestors were using,” he said.

Matequenha said he also used to sing and perform as a way of being in the spiritual realm with his ancestors.

But, he was not always an ‘Acustics’ artist. He started with realistic art and later transitioned to symmetry which he now also shows in his acoustic objects.

 “I am now interested in only acoustics, even my sculptors are musical instruments and every object I showcase gives sound,” he said.

Also, he performs in between his exhibitions or alongside; with some of the acoustic objects he creates.

Matenquenha extended appreciation to the Botswana art community, particularly Thapong Visual Arts Centre and said he hopes to influence more local artists with his unique form.

Thapong Visual Arts Centre’s coordinator Reginald Bakwena challenged Botswana visual creative to get inspiration from Matenquenha, urging them to think outside the box and apply themselves creatively to showcase and tell Botswana stories. ENDS