Lebohang Motaung
South African
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Bio
Born in Sebokeng, South Africa, Lebohang Motaung studied at the Vaal University of Technology where she got her degree in fine art with a major in printmaking. Her career accelerated when she earned a certificate of excellence in printmaking at Artist Proof Studios in Johannesburg in 2015 and international opportunities started to come her way.
As a former hairstylist and a fine artist, Motaung’s mission goes beyond making women beautiful. Through her vocations she is committed to instill a sense of confidence, while being reflective of her subject’s personal realities and the sense of agency necessary to confront vicious shaming, stereotypes and insults.
"Here, hair is agentive and inherent with the potential for multiple identity renditions and endless reconfigurations. In the process of becoming there is an inevitable shifting of identities and identifications in which hair can disguise or camouflage, much like a mask. This discourse is not just related to how women wear or address their hair and thus craft their visual appearance, it also concerns the politics of self-definition, self-expression, self-care, and self-love through various forms of representation or signification."
The artist's credentials are numerous: in 2014, Motaung coordinated a mural promoting human rights in Johannesburg and another one for the Johannesburg Hollard building, she designed a campaign billboard for Zazi that promoted the awareness and use of contraceptives for young girls, and she conducted a research project on Cosmo City for the Visual Arts Network of South Africa. In 2015, the artist took up a four-month residency at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA where she learned advanced intaglio techniques. In 2020, she was part of The Lockdown Collection which captured South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown and was created to support vulnerable artists. She was also participated in the Give her a Crown campaign which was an initiative aimed at raising awareness on gender based violence. In 2021, Motuang was part of a museum show titled Textures - The history and Art of Black Hair, at Kent State University, Ohio. A collection of her artworks is currently housed in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
As a former hairstylist and a fine artist, Motaung’s mission goes beyond making women beautiful. Through her vocations she is committed to instill a sense of confidence, while being reflective of her subject’s personal realities and the sense of agency necessary to confront vicious shaming, stereotypes and insults.
"Here, hair is agentive and inherent with the potential for multiple identity renditions and endless reconfigurations. In the process of becoming there is an inevitable shifting of identities and identifications in which hair can disguise or camouflage, much like a mask. This discourse is not just related to how women wear or address their hair and thus craft their visual appearance, it also concerns the politics of self-definition, self-expression, self-care, and self-love through various forms of representation or signification."
The artist's credentials are numerous: in 2014, Motaung coordinated a mural promoting human rights in Johannesburg and another one for the Johannesburg Hollard building, she designed a campaign billboard for Zazi that promoted the awareness and use of contraceptives for young girls, and she conducted a research project on Cosmo City for the Visual Arts Network of South Africa. In 2015, the artist took up a four-month residency at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA where she learned advanced intaglio techniques. In 2020, she was part of The Lockdown Collection which captured South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown and was created to support vulnerable artists. She was also participated in the Give her a Crown campaign which was an initiative aimed at raising awareness on gender based violence. In 2021, Motuang was part of a museum show titled Textures - The history and Art of Black Hair, at Kent State University, Ohio. A collection of her artworks is currently housed in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
