While she was born in Bloemfontein, Bontle Tau has found herself in various part of the country throughout her life - including Durban in KwaZulu Natal, Lydenburg in Mpumalanga and Johannesburg in Gauteng where she spent most of her adolescence.

Living in different parts of the country, and having to find ways to communicate with people, sparked her interest in culture and language. The introduction of Visual Arts at her preparatory and high school, Knights College in Johannesburg, gave her a new platform to express and explore the phenomenon of culture and language in a singular space.

She often refers to visual art as a language that “translates the words which cannot be spoken”, some words she says “can only be seen or felt”. As a fourth year BA Fine Arts student at the University of the Free State as well as a polyglot, her main areas of interest in her art practice are multilingualism and multi-culturalism.

New media is her medium of choice, predominantly working in photography, digital drawing and video installation. Her artist inspirations include Yinka Shonibare, William Kentridge, Mikhael Subtozky, Andrew Tshabangu, Candice Breitz and Diane Victor.