Thabiso Dakamela.

Who is Thabiso?

Thabiso: I am Thabiso Dakamela, born in 1994. My mother is of native Ndebele native from Zimbabwe and my father is Venda from Limpopo. My work owes a lot to the influence from my mother who raised me for the better part of my childhood hence I paint and draw women mostly.

I have learnt to draw inspiration from my personal experiences. I have always been an artist by blood, but I took it up as a professional career in 2015 and have since grown and evolved into the artist that I am today. And I hope to continue growing and be established as a household name in the art industry.

Please explain to us what you do?

Thabiso: I paint emotions, feelings, passions and experiences. Through women, children and sometimes men as my subject matter, I try to communicate positive energy. My work is an interpretation of what I see around me and observe about myself, and I translate that to the canvas for others to read and learn from. I use a variety of medium to effects; charcoal, acrylic, oils, and recycled materials. My philosophy is that we are to be the best versions of ourselves in whatever talents and gifts we have. To use them to impart our societies and make the world a better place. 

Why ART?

Thabiso:  Art is the song that make the visuals, it is not just written poetry or written words, it is experiences and emotions interpreted and made simpler for those who can neither read nor write, those who can listen with their hearts and see with their souls. Because when I had the chance to study something else and be a different person in a different field, art found me and brought peace, flexibility of schedule, purpose and healing through the many experiences I went through. And that without art, everything we know and use today would be non- existence the most beautiful things and lessons that nature offers us!

What role does an Artist play in a society?

Thabiso: Artists are gatekeepers of truth. They say those things everyone else is afraid to say. They are socio-political and economic critics whose contribution extends beyond giving an opinion about something. They expose the hidden and translate the complex issues affecting humanity. Artists are givers, mostly of themselves and a part of theirs towards the betterment of the next person. They communicate messages we never knew we needed, because it is their obligation to do so. Artists create the spaces and places for us to place our hopes, fears, dreams, visions, the past pains, victories and everything else we carry along with us.

What themes do you go for?

Thabiso: Hope, love, peace, friendship, kindness, self -introspection, virtue, pain, healing, growth, truth and other positive vibrations.

What is your favourite ART work?

Thabiso: The drawing of a little boy seated on a fallen tree. It’s the first piece I posted when I opened my Instagram page. He’s in a rural setting, and smiles gracefully in spite of his poor background.

What does Thabiso love about his work?

Thabiso: The feedback I get from my audience and the fact that I sleep at night, knowing I made someone smile, feel inspired or positive about themselves and thus that I have played my part in the web of humanity towards making this world a better place.

What wouldn’t you be able to do without?

Thabiso: God, hope, a good meal, a good read and my art material.