A young man, an employee at Impala Platinum mine, waits at a taxi rank in Rustenburg. He is almost swallowed up by the large number of people swirling around him. It’s loud. It’s hot. It’s 5:30pm on a Tuesday afternoon and he just wants to go home. No one would guess that this man is a talented artist. His name is Pogiso Motubatsi (34).
Pogiso Motubatsi is a 34-year-old artist from Potchefstroom. PHOTO: Supplied
Not only does Motubatsi render beautiful pen and pencil portraits, but he is also the cartoonist of the North West Independent newspaper. At night, he doubles as a comedian.
This self-taught artist attended Boston Media Citi College after he received a bursary to study graphic design in 2008. Due to a lack of funds, Motubatsi had to drop out: “It did not cover accommodation. I come from a tough background so I couldn’t afford it. So, I started to drop out because I was so down-trodden,” he says. “I thought, ‘let me just drop out before I sell my body.”
He uses a number of different mediums to create his art, but he is more comfortable with charcoal. Motubatsi creates portraits of the people who he is surrounded by. “I’m motivated by the things I see around me. I like to capture emotional stuff. I’m influenced by my background, a very tough background,” he says.
Motubatsi prefers to draw portraits that provoke emotion. PHOTO: Supplied
A strong connection with his subjects is very important to him. “I have a very good relationship with the people I do portraits for. When I draw their portrait, sometimes they don’t want me to leave. They just want to talk and laugh all day,” he jokes.
His work has not gone unrecognized, Motubatsi won first prize at the North West Art Competition and an award from the Tlokwe Municipality in 2016. He has exhibited his work in the North West and at the prestigious lifestyle, décor and art exhibition, Decorex, in Cape Town.
Motubatsi did not have the easiest life growing up. He was born in Potchefstroom, and was raised by his mother who was a cleaner at a high school. “I don’t live with my father. I was basically raised by a single parent,” Motubatsi explains. He plans on building his mother a house within the next two years as a sign of love and gratitude.
He discovered his talent in primary school, grade three. He was obsessed with comic books and would often doodle them in his school books. He quickly moved on to more realistic art. However, Motubatsi has not forgotten his love for cartoons.
“I can’t die without learning animation. I still like watching cartoons. Sometimes I fight with my girlfriend. I love cartoons,” he says with a child-like excitement. “My favourite is Tom and Jerry.” Motubatsi hopes to one day create his own cartoons online. He would prefer to have his cartoons online instead of on the television. The content would be inappropriate for television as the type of language he uses would not be suitable for children.
“I want to do something that combines Chris Rock and the Boondocks, but it must be something that envisions the country.”
Motubatsi mostly uses pencil and charcoal. He describes his art as “hyper-realistic”. PHOTO: Supplied
Motubatsi is able to combine his talent for humour and creativity as the cartoonist for the North West Independent newspaper. He began his career as a political cartoonist in 2014.
“Because I did cartoons it was easy for me to write punchlines,” said Motubatsi. As a political cartoonist, Motubatsi did not have a shortage of material for his stand-up shows. He recently performed at the Shampoonaiza one man comedy show at the Rustenburg Civic Centre.
Motubatsi is clearly a jack of all trades. Singing is another addition to his long list of talents. “I sing in church on the weekends. I’m very good,” he laughs, “I learn very quickly with everything I want to do.” He makes it clear that he is a devout Christian and that his religion does have an influence on his art. “When I feel down and I don’t know what to draw, the Lord guides me,” says Motubatsi.
It is through his faith that he met long-time girlfriend, Morisha Booysen. The two met in church two years ago. “We’ve been together for two years, it’s long neh?” giggles Motubatsi. He admits to making the first move, “but it was like she was waiting for me,” he giggles. “I just told her that I love her. You know black people, we don’t take you out to dinner, we just tell you that we love you!”
Motubatsi only sees Morisha every two weeks since she lives in Potchefstroom. He is grateful for her undying support. He quickly becomes serious when he starts talking about her. “She met me when I was down and out. She has been very supportive even when I had no income. She supports me in everything I do,” he says.
In order to make ends meet, Motubatsi works as an intern safety officer at Impala Platinum Mines. He is enthusiastic about his experience at his workplace. “New experiences, new people. This is different for me because I come from the entertainment industry and everyone is very serious here. I learn some new stuff and I see things from another angle,” he says.
Being an artist is not exactly a well-paying job, as Motubatsi has experienced: “My portraits are very expensive. I do self-portraits. People complain.”
His work sells at R840 for an A1 portrait. He has suffered many disappointments as an artist. He relates one story of when South African personality Siv Ngesi attended an exhibition where Motubatsi and few artists were showing their work. One of the other artists had even done a portrait for Ngesi. “Siv was very, very amazed at my art and he said he would hook me up with these other guys, but that never came through,” he says quietly.
In spite of set-backs, Motubatsi has never lost his enthusiasm. He continues to plan for the future. “I want to achieve in everything I do: Music, art, comedy, alles!” he exclaims.
Giving back to the community is very important to him: “I want to try to help someone who is doing the same thing that I’m doing. Help at least one person achieve their dream.” – Christina Pitt