Go gopola Gae
This series of intimate miniature oil paintings explores the relationship between a mother and her son in a contemporary Botswana household. Drawing from the stillness of photography and the familiarity of family albums, each work captures a quiet, suspended moment.
The faces remain abstract to leave space for viewers to connect and bring their own stories. I had already begun developing this body of work before my time at the Banana Club Artist Fund residency, where the collection came together in its final form. The work reflects on how memory, upbringing, and home shape the emotional lives of Black men.
This short film takes place in spaces typically seen as masculine. I spoke with men from different age groups and backgrounds, asking questions about love, fatherhood, and what masculinity means to them. I wanted a more honest and unfiltered perspective, something that comes straight from the source. It was shot on a JVC camcorder, which brings a nostalgic and intimate texture that ties in with the rest of the work.
