Creative soul Kgodisho makes a living with her art

POLOKWANE – Moloto holds a merit award from the 2019 Sasol New Signatures competition, and realised from a young age that she loves working with her hands and making artwork because it was a refuge for her.

“I would find myself dwelling into it, working and creating things out of clay, crayons and other materials we were given at school. All those little artworks I did at the time spoke to me,” she said.

Moloto performed well academically in high school but she always found herself going back to art. She enroled for fine arts at the Tshwane University of Technology and that was where she obtained her BTech qualification.

She expressed her gratitude to her parents for being understanding and supportive of her passion for art, an said she has been fortunate that art has been a way for her to make ends meet.

“I am one of the fortunate people who have been able to survive without a nine-to-five job because in a week, I can create three commissions which help me survive,” she said.

She added that doing her internship at the Polokwane Art Museum after she completed her studies exposed her to many things and she was able to take her professional theoretical experience and apply it practically.

Moloto added she firmly believes there is room for growth in the Polokwane art industry, however, it is the artists responsibility to teach people to appreciate art.

“We can’t keep saying there is no support in Polokwane when we as artists should be responsible for bringing knowledge to people and making them understand what art is. We should also create a platform for other young artists to explore their talent,” she said.

She credited initiatives such as the Polokwane Literary Fair because she feels the fair gives young artists the opportunity to come under one roof and exhibit their work.

“The fair gives a platform where we can learn from each other,” she said.