Thebe Phetogo

Nina Holmes

Thebe Phetogo is an artist from Botswana who works in painting, sculpture and installation. Rooted in his positionality as a Botswana artist working from a place of dislocation, Phetogo uses art to locate and build a space for himself in history as a subject and participant of the contemporary moment. His work explores the construction of personal identity and narratives, questioning how our understanding of gender, sexuality, politics and history are formed. Phetogo received a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art and a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Cape Town, and a BA in Media Studies from the University of Botswana. His work has been included in recent exhibitions including a solo exhibition, A Confluence, Unintended at 99 Loop Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, 2020. Phetogo is a 2019 Cassirer Welz Award finalist and a 2020 Emerging Painting Invitational Prize finalist.

Select Exhibitions:

  • A Confluence, Unintended at 99 Loop Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, 2020. Group shows include Fresh Voices at Guns & Rain in Johannesburg (2020) as well as Joburg Fringe 2019, The Art Room (Johannesburg), The Botswana Pavilion – No Return at Gallery Momo in Cape Town, and The Botswana Pavilion – Subjective Nationhood at the Botswana National Museum and Art Gallery in Gaborone. Phetogo is a 2019 Cassier Welz Award finalist and a 2020 Emerging Painting Invitational Prize finalist.

Select Works:

Thebe Phetogo, Untitled (Lowe), 2022, Oil and acrylic on canvas. 15 9/10 × 11 9/10 in | 40.5 × 30.3 cm

Thebe Phetogo, Lowe La Leru, 2024, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas. 31 1/2 × 24 in | 80 × 61 cm. Frame included
Thebe Phetogo, Untitled (Lowe), 2024, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas. 40 1/5 × 50 in | 102 × 127 cm. Frame included
Thebe Phetogo, The Disparate Man, 2022. Shoe polish, glue, oil and collage on canvas. 40 × 35 4/5 in | 101.5 × 91 cm
Thebe Phetogo, Lowe (Many Suns), 2024, Oil on Canvas, 40 1/5 × 50 in | 102 × 127 cm. Frame included