Johannesburg artist Thabiso Dakamela on receiving global recognition

When did the journey begin? 

I started painting professionally eleven years ago. I am a self-taught artist. I learned some of what I’ve learned through experience and personal research and practice.

What inspires your art?

My inspiration comes from day-to-day experiences, meeting people, listening to people; their experiences, their emotions, things they go through, things they don’t want to go through. My work is a social commentary on our day-to-day lives.

It talks about things such as joy and happiness [and] then moves to serious issues such as politics to socio-economic issues. But mostly, I’m particularly invested in the relationships between people, perhaps in finding solutions to make the world a better place.

What are some of the successful stories you have had in your career?

Let’s talk about the email that changed my life. At some point, I almost gave up, not really gave up, but ended up pursuing something different because I’m also gifted academically, but there is a gentleman who bought a piece of mine a couple of years ago, and he sent an email and in the email he was saying the piece saved his life. He was on the verge of ending his life, but when he looked at that piece it gave him hope.

It was a piece of a boy carrying a bag and just walking away. I’d like to believe that gave him a sense of learning to carry your burdens and move forward. So, that for me was a success story because the idea with art is that it must make a difference; it engages people, it questions where it needs to question, it answers where it needs to answer and it speaks to us in ways that words cannot speak.  

Let’s talk about how your work is being received in other parts of the world?

It would be amiss of me not to mention how we have grown internationally. I just shipped to the US. I’ve had my work collected in every continent now. I’ve been part of exhibitions in Germany, US, UK, Dubai, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Morocco and Switzerland and my work is displayed in Israel.

The first piece I shipped to the UAE in 2015. It was one of my earliest paintings, because I used to draw more, I used to sketch. When I moved and started practising with painting, it was one of the first pieces that I sold. That year I sold only two pieces in a year. You know, when you are still trying and building the brand, those are some of the challenges, but we managed to manoeuvre, work through and pull through; ten years later, it has been a beautiful journey.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve had notable collections, one of which is Robin Sharma, who is a world-renowned author that I look up to, and he has four of my collections.

Also, having grown as an artist, I keep learning, and I keep growing.

How is the South African market receiving the art?

There is always going to be room for growth. I think so far we are moving at a rather promising pace.
Pre- and post-COVID, we’ve seen a rise in interest in collecting and investing in art, especially in the black community.

Apart from paintings, what else are you passionate about?

I also collect art.

Sometimes, we run charity events, and sometimes, we run programmes that try to help other artists. I’m also still writing a book.

When you are not working and just want to unwind, what’s your go-to restaurant?

Del Forno is one of my old-time best restaurants, and Saint.

What is your favourite place to go hang out with your wife and kid as a family?

Fourways Mall. We just do activities - bowling, movies, etc.
We also enjoy going to Fourways farmers market or just any market.

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