14 Jan 2016

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 26 years ago, Alessandra Sabrana is quite a unique artist from the conventional artists practicing 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 with that as well as 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 does her digital art for fun.

“But I have also hand drawn album covers for Skinflint which have been selling internationally,” she added, further stating that music is her primary passion.

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 quite a number of talented female artists in Botswana and they are pursuing creative skills as a part time activity,” she said.

She indicated that one of the art initiatives she is proud of is Lora Arts, an initiative started off by Rosy Sabrana, which creates 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 a competition that saw an eventual winner,” said Alessandra.

She said the competition started in 2014 and Kago Kgaboetsile was the winner and walked away with P10 000.

Alessandra further said women should research and be aware of the different art 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.

Touching on what she is involved with 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. 

“Well, I can say interior design is the primary visual art form that I am involved in at the moment,” she said.

Quizzed on which art competitions she has participated in, Alessandra said she has not participated in any.

Speaking on challenges that women face in art, Alessandra said the biggest challenge is 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 is 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 be held and that such exhibitions should be extensively advertised so as to get more artists participating and the general public to also know that there is art out there to be seen.

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 is very evident that creativity runs in the Sabrana family. Ends