Thapong Visual Arts Centre prepares for life post COVID-19

The Coordinator for Thapong Visual Arts Centre, Reginald Bakwena has challenged local visual artists to creatively reflect on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to Bakwena, artists are in a position to come up with solutions that might go a long way in helping the society fight the virus. He revealed that once everything settles down, an exhibition focusing on the virus will be held. 

The idea behind this exhibition is to showcase what happened during the Coronavirus pandemic. He says that mediums such as paintings can be used to depict emotions. "Artists can tell stories through their artworks. And everyone can relate to them and understand them whether educated or not," he explains in an interview with this publication, adding that the local visual arts landscape is also in a bad space as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Thapong has had to postpone the annual Members Exhibition that usually takes place in March due to COVID-19. Bakwena says that the ongoing lockdown also means that their members are losing out on making money and will not be able to support their families. He notes that some of their members are already working from home developing some concepts and urged the rest to turn to technology - websites and social media to reach out to new and existing customers.