09 Mar 2015

Not only does she play drums for a rock and roll band, she is also an artist who does her art in 3D models.

Born in Lobatse 25 years ago, Alessandra Sabrana is quite a unique artist from the conventional artists one is used to in Botswana.

When one thinks of an artist, what comes to mind are drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, but not Alessandra. She studied architecture at the University of Cape Town and is currently involved in that and interior design.

“I have had an interest in art since I was a child and took it up in high school before going off to Cape Town for my tertiary,” she said, adding that she did her digital art for fun.

“But, I have also hand drawn album covers for Skinflint which have been selling internationally,” she added.Speaking about art in Botswana, Alessandra said generally, art is not highly encouraged as there is a perception that one cannot make a decent living from it.

“I have met a number of talented female artists in Botswana and they are pursuing their creative skills as a part time activity,” she said. She indicated that one of the art initiatives that she was proud of was Lora Arts, an initiative started off by Rosy Sabrana, which has created awareness of the talent in Botswana.

“That initiative has encouraged artists, whether male or female, to create works that were later exhibited at Thapong Visual Arts Centre as part of the competition,” said Alessandra.

She said the competition started off last year and Kago Kgaboetsile was the winner and walked away with P10 000

Alessandra further said that women should research and be aware of the different competitions and galleries that are available to artists.

“There are several opportunities both nationally and internationally that could aid artists in improving their skills as well as getting their work exhibited,” she said.

Speaking on what she is involved in at the moment, Alessandra said she is working as an interior designer full time, adding that she spends most of her days researching and designing on her laptop.

“Well, I can say interior design is the primary visual art form that I am involved in at the moment,” said Alessandra.On being quizzed on which competitions she has entered so far, she said she has not entered any competitions.

Speaking on challenges that women face in art, Alessandra said the biggest challenge was getting ones work out there and actually getting paid for it.“A lot of people in Botswana do not want to pay for art.

Be it paintings, music, photographs or interior design services,” she said.She indicated that there was also a misunderstanding regarding the skill and training artists have.

“We are skilled individuals who spend countless hours developing our talent and we deserve the fair compensation that comes with it,” she said.“I think to appreciate art people need to be curious, explore, understand and feel the need to explore even further,” she added.

Alessandra further said more art exhibitions should take place and “such exhibitions should be extensively advertised so as to get more artists participating and the general public also needs to know that there is art out there to be seen,” said Alessandra.

She said Botswana should also invest in art as a subject from primary school and should be taken more seriously and be given as much importance as other subjects.
Alessandra wants to become the best at what she does and with her passion; the sky is the limit for the young lady from Lobatse.With the rest of her family tied to different forms of art, it was very evident that creativity runs in the Sabrana family. ENDS