Kago mirrors life through Art
Kago Kgabaetsile says that art is a lifestyle and a form of expression and escapism. “When I am sad or happy, I can spill my emotions on paper. Art is life,” he says. He specialises in pencil portraits but also does photography. He takes pictures for weddings, parties, bridal/baby showers among others, but is dabbling in travel photography. Looking at his work, it is evident that he is creative, imaginative and pays attention to detail.
The 26 year old has come a long way since his days as a starry eyed learner at Segomotso Primary School in Selebi Phikwe, where he discovered his artistic talent. He always walked away with art prizes throughout school. His winning streak continued in his adult years as he has won in art categories of the President’s Day competitions and L’Atelier, among others. Interestingly, he holds a Bsc in Agriculture from Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, formerly Botswana College of Agriculture, where he graduated in 2015. He explains that he didn’t receive sufficient career guidance so he selected any course. “I was just excited by the prospect of going to tertiary.
Studying agriculture also had prestige to it in my family,” he says. He admits that he has since shelved his qualification to focus on art. In 2013 he entered the L’Atelier art competition that year and won a cash prize in 2012. It was the same year that he joined Thapong Arts Centre. He has not looked back since then. Kgabaetsile is also a member of Basha Arts. “We are group of 13 vibrant and energetic artists; some draw, others paint or craft, while others are into fashion and printing. We share ideas and support each,” he says.
They plan to host an exhibition later this year where they will invite members of the public, particularly potential buyers. He is adamant that artists can make good money, emphasising that it is high time our society gets rid of the perception of artists being poor. “Artists should actually be some of the richest people in society. In other parts of the world, artists can even be millionaires. People should pay for our work and value our talent.”
He further notes that artists should dance to the same tune. “Take for example issues of pricing – someone will charge for example 150, while I charge 800 for a drawing. A customer will say: ‘Why should I pay you more when I can pay less?’ This sporadic pricing is killing the art market. We need to unite and work together.” He also believes that artists should learn financial literacy, to better understand how to earn, spend and invest money.
“Artists should be businesspeople. I am lucky that during my time at BUAN, I took an agric economics course that equipped me with knowledge on the basics of business and money management. The principles of financial management are universal.” Kgabaetsile used the money he won in competitions to invest in art equipment and buy material.
He is proud to have sold an artwork to Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development, Thapelo Olopeng. He has also sold work to different embassies including South Africa and has been commissioned by companies and individuals. His most memorable sale was to an American expat who had commissioned him, and had the artwork shipped to the USA. Kgabaeitsile says that he is currently preparing for the Thapong Artist of the Year competition to be held later this year. He doesn’t feel threatened. In fact, he is pleased that there are so many young artists making a positive mark. “I applaud artists for taking their work seriously. Competition is good because it motivates you to do better,” he adds. To see more of his work visit Facebook page, Drawn by Kago or email: [email protected]
