12 Apr 2017

It is important for Thapong Visual Arts Centre  to hold workshops and talks aimed at helping artists interact with professionals so as to help them move a notch up in their craft.

Speaking at an art talk at Thapong recently, coordinator of Thapong, Reginald Bakwena said they saw it pertinent to hold such talks because during art competitions and exhibitions it appeared that some artists kept repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

“We need our artists to improve things such as presentation of their work, creative ability and take originality very seriously,” he said, adding that artists from Botswana still had a long way to go as far as international competitionswere concerned.

He said evidence of Batswana not winning competitions such as the Barclays Art Competition showed that they were still lagging behind, but it was not something that could not be corrected.

For his part, art lecturer at Molepolole College of Education (MCE) Den Sibanda said it was important for artists and professionals to share experiences, which in turn trigger dialogue between the audience and artists.

Sibanda, who was also a judge at last year’s Thapong Artist of the Year Award (TAYA), said artists needed to understand that different opinions and perspectives with regards to artworks should not be taken negatively.

“Criticism should not deter you either. Take it as positive criticism and work on from that even though sometimes it is very harsh. That is the environment one has to work within,” he said.

“Some of the most important things artists need to do when working on their artworks are visual impact, interpretation, creativity, composition, design and craftsmanship among others,” he continued.

He noted that it was important for artists to also make sure that they exercised professionalism with regards to presentation of their work and making sure that their work was tidy.

“Untidy work has never been attractive. Make sure your framing and write-up are in in good shape and you actually know what you are going to say when people ask you to interpret your work,” he said.

Sibanda said most artists still failed to make oral presentations when quizzed about their work and such should be addressed as soon as possible.

Bakwena said they would host more art talks as the year winds down to help more artists in their craft.

“I want to encourage people to come view some of our artworks, which are part of our members’ exhibition,” he concluded. ENDS