Shadrack Mbote (Baba) Tjeko is a multidisciplinary artist who practises various forms of art including painting, drawing, graphic illustration and cartooning.  

Baba discovered his love and talent for visual arts at an early age while growing up in the Tumahole township near Parys. While at high school, he entered and won numerous art competitions including the Human Rights Art Contest, UNFPA Art Competition and Post Office Poster Contest among others.

Due to unfortunate advice from other people and the fear of being a poor artist, he pursued studies in Graphic Design instead of Fine Art. After completing a diploma in Creative Multimedia: Design at the National Electronic Media Institute of SA (NEMISA) in 2007, he worked as a graphic designer for various institutions such as Media24 and Cross Colours Advertising Agency.

In May 2016 Baba resigned from his full time job as a Communication Designer in the public service to pursue his first love – visual art. Baba has since established a first of its kind illustrated and cartoon newspaper called The Voice. This educational and empowering publication that was launched in July 2016,  is distributed in the Free State as an insert in Dumelang News.  

Baba’s love for art, community empowerment and nature is what made him leave the comfort zone of job security to pursue the calling of art. His work is highly influenced by nostalgia, Basotho patterns called Litema and African culture and aesthetics.

Baba has never exhibited his work and he is currently based in Bloemfontein where he is working on growing his small creative business.