Tshepiso Moropa uses personal and archival images, cutting and assembling exquisite collages that consider the ever-changing nature of the stories we tell. The self-taught artist draws on her background in psychology and linguistics to delve into African archives and oral histories, reinterpreting her findings through simple yet dense works.
Moropa often roots her work in Dinane and di ToroTswana Legends and Dreams respectively. “Each folktale blends history, cultural values and human experience to serve as a source of inspiration,” she said in a statement. “My work is imbued with the timeless wisdom, moral lessons and magical elements of Sestevana’s stories.”
Blending digital and analog techniques, the artist assembles surreal scenes with precise lines and ample negative space. Birds feature prominently in works such as “Joy” and serve as spiritual guides, which the artist describes as referencing the following story: “As the girl drifted into the darkness, the ancestors came to her disguised as birds, their wings turning into gentle threads, saving her from harm.”
Other works are more personal, including Hidden in Plain Sight. The work depicts an old woman floating above a wooden house, alluding to a dream Moropa had in which her grandmother appeared in the sky, hovering above the artist and her twin sister.
Moropa is based in Johannesburg and is represented by THK Gallery in Cape Town. This April, her work will be shown in a group exhibition at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich and subsequently at the Biel/Biel Photography Festival in Switzerland. Follow her practice on Instagram.
