LEBOHANG MOTAUNG
Lebohang Motaung was born in 1992 in Sebokeng, Gauteng, South Africa. She studied at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) where she earned both her Diploma (2012) and B-Tech
(2013) in fine art, majoring in printmaking. Following was a certificate of excellence in printmaking at Artist Proof Studios (2015) in Johannesburg where her art career took an accelerative turn through local and international opportunities that came her way.
A recipient of commissions, Motaung coordinated a Human Rights Mural in Johannesburg
(2014), the Zazi Campaign Billboard Designing that promoted an awareness and use of
contraceptives by young girls (2014), a Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA) Research project on Cosmo City (2015), and another Mural project for the Johannesburg Hollard building (2016). Motaung Also has a collection of artworks housed in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
In 2015, Motaung took up a four-month residency at The School of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA where she learned advanced intaglio techniques and contributed as an assistant printmaking teacher to the school's programme. She also took up 8 months residency at The
Project Space in Johannesburg. In 2020, she was part of The lockdown collection which was aimed at capturing the South Africa's historic Covid-19 lockdown and supporting vulnerable
artists.
She was also one of the 16 artists who was part of the Give her a Crown campaign which was an initiative aimed at advocating more awareness about gender-based violence. In 2021 she was part of a museum show titled Textures The history and
Art of Black Hair, Kent State University, Ohio, USA. She is currently practicing art as a full-time visual artist. Today, Motaung dedicates her time fully to practicing art, and her mesmerizing works have graced prestigious art fairs such as Cape Town Art Fair, Turbine Art Fair, and RMB Latitudes Art Fair. Lebohang Motaung's innovative use of hair as a medium has not only set her apart as an extraordinary artist but has also inspired and influenced other artists to explore new and unique
approaches to their own artistic expressions.
"For me, hair grants women the freedom to be imaginative, expressive, and adaptable to altering their visual styles and representations, including aesthetics, fashion, and trends, whenever it suits them and aligns with their personal preferences. Hair, in this context, becomes an active agent, inherently holding the potential for multiple identity interpretations and endless transformations, mirroring the discourse of evolution and fluid identities and affiliations, akin to disguises or masks. This discourse not only pertains to how women style or address their hair to shape their visual appearance but also delves into the politics of self-definition, self-expression, self-care, self-appreciation, and self-love in diverse and essential forms of identity or representation."
