The Night Recital

A Solo presentation by Tshepiso Moropa

Tshepiso Moropa is a visual artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the crux of Moropa’s artwork is the interrogation of Blackness and its disproportionate representation in history and art. The artist works primarily in photography, digital collage and video as a means of re-membering and reimagining nuanced notions of Blackness. This is pertinent with regards to the artists use of archival images and challenging the inherited legacies of existing imagery of Black pain and suffering along with what has been erased and excluded in the archive. Moropa makes a conscious reference to the form and compositions of Baroque paintings in order to highlight the erasure of the black body. Accordingly collages are created with found archival images that depict theatrical scenes of once-forgotten ancestors against a black backdrop. In breathing a new life into these images and collages Moropa subverts the missing yet over-represented black body and further humanises the photographed subject at hand. The Night Recital features this rejuvenating body of work that breathes a new life into archival images and further creates a visual narrative of Black pleasure and lore.

Tshepiso Moropa
The Twins
2023
Glossy paper cut outs on paper
42 x 59.4 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
The Joy
2023
Glossy paper cut outs on paper
42 x 59.4 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
The Plan
2023
Glossy paper cut outs on paper
42 x 59.4 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
The Jacket
2023
Collage scan
42 x 59.4 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
The Nightmare
2023
Glossy paper cut outs on paper
59.4 x 42 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
The Dressing Room
2023
Glossy paper cut outs on paper
59.4 x 42 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
The Night Show
2023
Glossy paper cut outs on paper
59.4 x 42 cm

Tshepiso Moropa
Monna le Basadi Ba Babedi (The Man with Two Wives)
2023
Digital Video
01:44 min