"My art is deeply embodied in Afrikan spirituality and nature and it is a way of imprinting the souls of my ancestors on my canvas, for every form of movement is vibration and energies that reside within us and transcends beyond magnitudes of this parallel universe"
Nthabiseng Kekana is an artist born (1999) in Johannesburg and raised in Alexandra. She is currently living and practicing in Alexandra.
Nthabiseng started drawing in her early primary school years and later went to the National school of the Arts, where she majored in Three Dimensional Design. After graduating from NSA she entered the LISOF (fashion Design Institute) #MyFashionCareer bursary competition and came first runner up, she ended up studying for a higher certificate. She later applied to study Digital Media in Design
at the University of Johannesburg and currently holds a degree in Digital Media in Design (Multimedia).
After obtaining her degree she began her journey as a full-time artist. She grounds her work in Spirituality and uses a harmonic range of mediums from acrylic, charcoal, pastels, fineline, natural fibres, and more to express the fluidity of creation and to futher explore the expression of God’s consciousness as an extension via our existence. Her work has been exhibited In France and currently is in possession of major collectors all of the world in primarily London and the United States of America. She was one of the four shortlisted finalists for the 2021 Cassirer Welz Award by Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, in partnership with Strauss & Co Fine Art Auctioneers, and she was recently Top 6 for the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize 2022.
ART RESIDENCY : Makwande Art Residency, Nice - 2023
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an Artist but first as Art it is with hope that my creation reflects the memory of the devine through our existence. My work explores the human Journey past and present encompassing themes of Spirituality, Mythology, Identity, African folktales, and the feminine image and it is through my daily experiences I seek to evoke deep reflection and nakedness of truth via painting, drawing, and in the near future sculpting, photography, animation and videography (film).
I draw my influence and Inspiration from artists Wangechi Mutu, Alberto Giacomettii, Mmakgabo Sebidi to mention a few, but nature is the ultimate source of inspiration for it is constantly state of flow everything ‘Dance of Creation’ is how I like to phrase is. It Is through the raffia string I use in most of my works that ties the metaphorically symbol of ‘Dance of Creation’ the Universal Laws Energy, Frequency and Vibration the cyclical nature of existence in all life.
EXHIBITIONS
2023, Not black or white, Soshiro Gallery & Undiscovered Canvas, London,UK
2023, Her Recollection, Undiscovered Canvas, Nice, France