LOT 131: Hosea Matlou – Judges

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Hosea Matlou moved from Sckhompo on the outskirts of Polokwane to Pretoria in 2000 to pursue a qualification in Finance and Accounting at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). During his time there, he was exposed to the Visual Arts through a community-based project. He rethought his career path and became a full-time practising artist from 2002.

Hosea’s art training has been limited to self-taught experimentation and exchanging ideas with fellow artists. In 2004, he and three artists started a studio in a rented flat in Pretoria’s centre. He was exposed to a cross-pollination of artistic approaches and techniques which refined his painting technique. He began experiementing in drawing techniques, influenced by Atteridgeville-based artist, William Langa, and discovered the art of pastel drawing. In 2008, he worked as a tour guide for Pretoria Art Museum under Mmutle Kgokon, which granted him exposure to art. His first solo exhibition opened at the Centurion Art Gallery in June 2010.

His free-hand drawing often feature his innovative ink-and-flame embossing technique – an alternative techinique he developed due to the financial difficulties he experienced. His images are playful and free with a deliberate loose sense of control but considered with adeeper meaning and exploration. His free sketches with embossing and half-burned images present real people and scenes he encounters from the city and rural areas. The works often feature men in suits carrying briefcases – strikingly comical but simultaneously serious – reveals his commentary on the cut-throat business world of capitalist pursuits.