Using personal and archival images, Tshepiso Moropa cuts and splices delicate collages that consider the ever-evolving nature of the stories we tell. The self-taught artist draws on her background in psychology and linguistics as she plumbs African archives and oral histories, reinterpreting her findings through minimal, yet weighty compositions.
Moropa often grounds her works within dinaane and ditoro, Setswana lore and dreams, respectively. “Each folktale carries a unique blend of history, cultural values, and human experience, serving as a wellspring of inspiration,” she says in a statement. “My work is informed by the timeless wisdom, moral lessons, and magical elements found within Sestwana stories.”
Fusing digital and analog techniques, the artist assembles surreal scenes with precise lines and ample negative space. Birds figure prominently and serve as spiritual guides as in pieces like “The Joy,” which the artist describes as referencing the following story: “When the girl drifted into the darkness, the ancestors came to her disguised as birds, their wings turning into gentle threads that lifted her away from harm.”
Other works are more personal, including “Hiding in Plain Sight.” Depicting an older woman floating above a wooden home, the piece alludes to one of Moropa’s dreams in which her grandmother appeared in the sky, hovering above the artist and her twin sister.
Moropa is based in Johannesburg and represented by THK Gallery in Cape Town. This April, her work will go on view in a group exhibition at Museum Rietberg in Zurich, followed by a presentation at the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography in Switzerland. Keep up with her practice on Instagram.
