Thabo Lukhele – experimental portrait artist!
“ I was born in eMankayane but spent most of my childhood in Malkerns. In primary school I discovered I had a talent for drawing and continued with technical drawing in high school. I progressed to doing a nine month art course at CODEC learning more about art and ceramics. The early months after doing my course at CODEC was not easy but I persevered and when I started exhibiting at Yebo Art Gallery and meeting other artists my life started changing. I now paint mainly in oil and acrylics and my subject matter has changed from portraits to landscapes and then abstracts. Recently I have been exploring portraiture in an experimental form to express strong emotions in people’s faces regarding social issues I feel strongly about. This is turning into a series that I will continue with for quite a while ! Other than painting in my studio I work with ArtReach, a creative NGO where we paint murals, teach art and do numerous exciting projects with the youth of Eswatini. It’s a pity that an education in fine art has not been given enough attention in Eswatini for many years but I think it’s starting to change as the creative world can offer great opportunities for young people.”
Thabo’s work can be viewed online at www.yeboswaziland.com and at www.facebook.com/yebodesigns You can also find his work at Yebo Art Gallery in Ezulwini and at their gallery shop at Swazi Candles Centre in Malkerns