Uhuru for Kgope

Roy Lichtenstein, an American artist who in the 1960’ s alongside other artists such as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and so many others became leading figures in the art movement. Lichtenstein is famous for his work that is defined as pop art through parody.

He also states that he is always willing to share his knowledge with those who are willing to learn. One of his students is Lecha Mosinyi, who won the Painting Category in the Thapong Artist of the Year ( TAYA) competitions in 2018, as well as other competitions such as the President’s Day competitions under his respective category. He also says that one of the reasons why visual art is not developing at a satisfactorily as is the case in other countries such as South Africa, is the fact that artists work in isolation, and that they don’t want to share what they know.

“If we came together and shared what we know with others, we could be in the same level as countries such as South Africa and Zimbabwe,” says Kgope. He also notes that he has met artists who always say they want to come for mentorship but they never show up. “It is hard to share what you know with people who do that. I can’t force people to learn if they are not interested,” he notes.

He also shares that he does not take part in competitions as he wants to give a chance to upcoming artists. He has also withdrawn from exhibitions, and prefers to do what he calls working underground. He mostly does commission works and personal projects. Having been in the industry since 1993, his clients know where to find him. And for those who are outside the country, he often ships their works to them.

“Exhibiting is not financially viable to me anymore,” he says.