“I am disturbed by the injustices in the world, especially sexual violence against children and the silence of the unspoken truth. This was the motivation and the platform where I felt I could unsilence the matter”, described Kamohelo Sebonyane.
Kamohelo Sebonyane grew up in Jagersfontein in the Free State and attended High School in Fouriesburg. He specializes in ceramic, charcoal, and pencil work. He received a 2022 New Breed Art Merit award for his artwork titled Let’s break the silence of the past.
Kamohelo explained that his artwork depicts sexual violence towards children, of both genders. You can see traces of the violence already committed scattered all over the room due to trust and love. The angel of Moloch is someone who has committed sexual violence against children but has since died. Yet he still haunts them to this day because they never told anyone until the artist had produced his experience to stop the act of sexual violence.
Kamohelo got interested in art while he was in prison, falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit, where he made a small sculpture using soap and newspaper. He uses art to control his emotions and tell his story.
New Breed Art Competition
The New Breed Art Competition was established in 2016 by Bloemfontein law firm Phatshoane Henney Attorneys as a unique visual arts competition. Now in its sixth year, the competition provides an excellent platform for Free State artists to showcase their talent and contemporary Free State art and to benefit from the prizes and national exposure the competition provides.
“The New Breed Art Competition had such an impact on my life that my artwork can now be seen by hundreds of people, and I know that the brushstrokes of my paintings mean something. I get inspired by the truth of society, the realness in their faces, and their stories. My biggest challenge was facing the truth about unjustness and the lack of resources, but I prevailed”, said Kamohelo.
Future plans
His hopes are based on societal changes to help people and communities find their voices and express their concerns through individual and collaborative art projects, and he wants to explore different techniques by entering more art competitions, not to win, but to have a voice and guide people.
He plans to make more money out of art so that he can help his family rebuild the home that they’ve lost due to the Jagersfontein mine that destroyed their home and the lives of loved ones.
A word of motivation from Kamohelo to other emerging artists: “Go for it; tell your story. Do not be afraid of being judged. Be open enough to put your artwork out there".
"The competition changed my life because now I know that my testimony, through my art, of life experiences can touch and heal others.”