thero makepe

an artist and photographer born and raised in Botswana, currently working between Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Gaborone.

Makepe’s work is informed by past and present narratives about his upbringing and lived experiences in Botswana and South Africa. Wavering between photographing handmade dioramas, existing landscapes, and portraiture, his body of work, contains images that evoke anxiety, tragedy, and fatality, whereas others reflect calmness, light, and eternal rest. He is also a founding member of the Botswana Pavilion, a collective of young artists from Botswana concerned with advancing Botswana’s creative development and artistic archive. Makepe recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art with distinction at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town. In 2019, he was awarded the Tierney Fellowship for the Michaelis School of Fine Arts in partnership with the Tierney Fellowship Foundation. In 2020, he was selected as a finalist in the 2020 edition of the Blurring the Lines competition conducted by the Paris College of Art.