Thero Makepe

Bio

Thero Makepe is an artist and photographer born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana, and currently working in between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Gaborone. Makepe's work is informed by past and present narratives related to his upbringing and lived experiences in Botswana and South Africa. Wavering between photographing handmade dioramas, existing landscapes and portraiture, his body of work contains images that evoke anxiety, tragedy and fatality, whereas others reflect calmness, light and eternal rest.

Makepe recently completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts with distiniction at the University of Cape Town's Michaelis School of Fine Art. In 2019, he was awarded the Tierney Fellowship from the Michaelis School of Fine Arts in partnership with the Tierney Fellowship Foundation. In 2020, he was selected as a finalist in the 2020 edition of the "Blurring the Lines" competition, conducted by the Paris College of Art. In March 2022, Makepe presented his newly released limited edition book "Fly Machine/Mogaka" at The Art Residency Centre (Arc) in Gaborone.

Thero Makepe is a founding member of The Botswana Pavilion, a collective of young artists from Botswana, concerned with advancing Botswana's creative development and artistic archive.