- Talks about his ITB Berlin findings
- Would like to reconcile with Octagon Gallery management
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Fine artist, Wilson Ngoni says he recently gave an exclusive interview to the prestigious Forbes Africa Magazine sharing his point of view on how he sees the arts and the future of the arts landscape in Botswana.
While he did not give detailed information about the interview before its publication, Ngoni said it was an “opportunity that puts the spotlight and the much-needed exposure on the Wilson Ngoni brand,” he told Time Out.
He however argued that Botswana’s arts, especially the fine arts were lagging and could use exposure to help tell the country’s story to the rest of the world. Ngoni also explained that he learned at the 2017 ITB Berlin conference that, contrary to popular belief, art enthusiasts and buyers long for realism as opposed to abstract art. “Realism is the kind of art that I do and there are very few artists who can still manage to do this kind of art.” he explained
Ngoni implored Batswana artists to stick with realism and develop it: “That’s our way of telling our story as Batswana. At the Tourism Expo, there were about 10 thousand stalls and I have had more than 2 million people from all walks of life appreciating my works. They had never seen anything like it, the pieces told the Botswana story which makes us unique,” he said. He also revealed that he managed to bag a few clients from the tourism conference.
Commenting on his future plans for his brand, Ngoni said he plans to have a solo exhibition at Thapong Arts Centre as well as at the National Museum’s Octagon Gallery. “I have had altercations with the management of the Octagon Gallery previously and I would like us to reconcile and move forward and grow the arts together,” he said conciliatorily.
Ngoni added that he was open to international exhibitions, “But I always prefer people from outside to come to me, because I have more artworks here and we could possibly do collaborations here at home. That is the tourism that can benefit my people,” he said.