BIOGRAPHY

Mothobi Mefane is an artist born and bred in Bloemfontein. Like many artists he developed his love for art when he was still in primary school when his mother, a domestic worker, would bring home magazines. Mothobi would then draw cartoons and illustrations which accompanied the short stories in these magazines.

Mefane completed his matric at Sehunelo Secondary School in 1988 and wanted to study the dramatic arts but was dissuaded by his father who believed being a teacher or a policeman was a better career. He went on to work as a shelf packer at Lennon and Peterson in 1999 and after a year, resigned and joined Coin Security Company as a Security Guard, also for a year. After that he co-founded a theatre group called Maluti. Mothobi was then employed as a child and youth care worker by the Department of Social Development in 1994. In 2001 he shifted positions in the same department and became a clerk.

However, Mefane’s love for art rendered him restless and in 2011 he finally resigned and began to paint on velvet fabric and sold his paintings from house to house in the township. Since then, he has participated in group exhibitions at the Macufe and Grahamstown Arts Festivals. He has also done sand art perfomances at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein; and in 2017 he exhibited at Gallery on Leviseur, Pacofs Down Stage and Blend restaurant , all in Bloemfontein. Mefane was also the recipient of a merit award in the 2016 Phashoane Henney New Breed Art Competition.

Mothobi is recently completed his Diploma in Visual Arts and Design at Motheo TVET College in Bloemfontein.