LECHA MOSINYI’ SPELLBINDING ART ENTHRALS
The artwork of Lecha ‘ KingDavid’ Mosinyi would leave anyone spellbound as it is aesthetically pleasing, skilfully refined and ornamental. The 20-year-old who hails from Kalamare undoubtedly has a talent that belies his age. He specialises in semi-abstract portraits that depict different elements such as culture, facial expressions and feminism, he noted. “I try to make contemporary semi-abstract portraits which anyone from across the globe could relate to,” he said.
Mosinyi, who is currently doing his third year BEng Chemical Engineering at Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) is also a visual artist who aspires to be counted among the best fine artists in the world. And looking at his amazing work, it is clear that the dream is not too far-fetched.
He recently told Vibe that he fell in love with art at a tender age, but his skills were manifested when he took Art as a subject at Maoka Junior Secondary School and Gaborone Secondary School (GSS) and attained A and A* respectively. He has been part of several art exhibitions, and in 2018 he scooped the Young Artist Award at the Thapong Artist of the Year Awards. In 2019, he walked away with the first prize for best painting at the President’s Day competitions.
Mosinyi started doing art commercially in November 2017 and already gained recognition from local businesses and individuals. He shared that he has been inspired by some international artists, and was motivated to invest in his art talent by his former teacher at GSS, who is also his mentor, Uhuru Kgope. “He has always believed beyond any reasonable doubt that I am exceptionally gifted in art. He believed that I had talent that required direction and polishing to be launched into the art market,” he said. Although he is flying high, being a visual artist comes with its own set of challenges which include poor support from the public. “A lot of people do not value art; they believe it is just a form of recreation and relaxation, but that should not be the case. Another challenge is that as artists we do not get enough exposure… I believe that if we got exposure through exhibitions and by marketing our work outside Botswana, most artists would be more successful. We have abundant talent here but money is a challenge and so I challenge government and the private sector to do more in helping improve arts professionalism in our country,” he said. Although Mosinyi is committed to his studies at BIUST and aspires to one day be a qualified chemical engineer, he said his love for art would not be compromised. “I need this divine talent for both my personal earnings and to showcase the wealth of art talent in our country. I also want to help those who come after to improve their skills.”
To see more of Mosinyi’ sterling work, visit his social media pages: Facebook: Lecha Artworks Instagram: _lechamosinyiart.