Was it not for the powerful inner drive to break with convention and pursue his dreams, Baba Tjeko’s artistic talent may never have caught the eye of the 2016 Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art Competition judges.
In spite of being deeply passionate about art from a young age, Baba Tjeko (31) was discouraged from studying it further due to fearmongers’ stories of artists “dying as paupers.” He instead pursued a Creative Multimedia diploma, majoring in Advertising Design upon completing his matric, which lead to formal employment as graphic designer for various institutions such as Media24.
“True. It’s been a struggle for me to embrace formal employment and I’ve resigned from all three companies I have worked for since I completed my studies. The reason was my deep desire to live with a purpose. I felt like art and creativity was my gift to the world and not doing it meant I would be depriving the world of the unique blessing that God has entrust me with,” Tjeko relays. The realisation that he may never experience true joy and peace while in a formal job environment, drove him to finally embrace his dream of being a full time artist.
“Yes, the practical concerns such as financial freedom are still a challenge. But I am now happier because I have inner peace and my heart is in the right place. Being featured as one of the competition’s top artists was just further confirmation that I had made the right decision to quit my full time job.”
Tjeko’s describes his competition entry as a celebration of hardworking Free State men and women that know how to cultivate the land, and while doing so, become the strong human beings that they are today. The theme also worked well with his use of unique Basotho designs, called Litema. “According to my research, Litema is a disappearing culture and art form. Integrating them into my work was therefore also way of paying homage to the unrecognised artists of Litema – as well as doing my bit to preserve the unique Basotho design. Hopefully it will also inspire other young designers to use this unique aesthetic, found only in Lesotho and the Free State, in their work.”
Tjeko is now working on a body of work using various mediums such as watercolour on paper, mixed media and oil on canvas, which he hopes to get exhibited this year. He has also just left Bloemfontein to return home to Tumahole, Parys to establish a creative concept store/gallery while earning extra income through his freelance work as cartoonist.
Click here to visit his full profile and for more information on his competition entry.