Contemporary photographer and visual artist Lebo Thoka is one of the emerging talents who have been grabbing art collectors’ attention in the past two years.
Thoka has been pushing boundaries showing off her flair through her photorealism work. Her excellent progress is further highlighted by her latest exhibition titled Eden at the David Krut Gallery in Johannesburg. It can be viewed virtually.
Since her first exhibition in 2016 titled It is Well: And Ode to Karabo, a lamentation over GBV victim Karabo Mokoena, Thoka has been producing a stunning and powerful body of work that questions almost everything in society.
With Eden, she explores black womanhood and further examines the lived realities and oppressive systems faced across the African diaspora.
As a young artist and self-confessed feminist, she explores subjects such as religion, spirituality, feminism and gender-based violence.
In dealing with different subjects, she manipulates photographs with Photoshop software, and enhances it with shapes, colour and patterns.
Born in 1996, her work is mainly influenced by being a feminist and covers how is it like to be a black woman in SA, looking at the struggles of woman, society's structures and touching on history versus the present day.
“It is mainly photography and use of Photoshop to manipulate the images and turn them into graphic images that you see. I’ve been experimenting with graphics, colours and patterns and also jumping between natural elements and shapes, mainly being inspired by my own exploration with religion and spirituality.
“I have always had an inquisitive mind and questioning issues way before I became a feminist. I was raised in a Christian religion and I am leaving religion. It got to a point when I was questioning if sticking with religion was because it was the only thing I know or because I grew up under it. I have realised that religion and feminism clash. Through my work, I try to unpack the symbols and structures that exist in the society.”
Raised in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, she says that when she took a decision to dump religion, her parents were disappointed but understood that she has an independent mind.
She regards her work as a diary of some sort while looking at how Christianity is viewed in black society and defining blackness.
Thoka’s work also highlights challenges faced by domestic workers. She portrays domestic workers in different situations, for example being pregnant, carrying a baby and school bags just to emphasise their role in society.
“The theme was inspired by a documentary that I watched about the violence experienced by domestic workers. When I was interrogating the subject, I realised that there was power, money and race in the whole thing. I discovered that employers of domestic workers were often derogatory towards them. They threw the words like stupid easily towards them. I also noticed that despite the big role they play they were not valued.”
Thoka’s work has already won her a Loerie Award in 2018. She was part of the Addis Foto Fest in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, and has had her work featured in the Washington Post and The New York Times online platforms.
She holds a bachelor of arts degree in visual communication majoring in photography from Open Window Institute.
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