Thapelo Keetile (33) of Kuruman in the Northern Cape is thankful and explains what it feels like to be a Digital Artist in South Africa today. 
“Most artists back then were activists and they were in the struggle for freedom. Their art was not for enjoyment, it was protests art. It was a necessity for them to express that this is the situation in our country. They would communicate the struggle to the world through art,” Keetile explains.
“For me right now, there is a sense of gratitude. A lot of people know that things have become incredibly better and things are not as limited. We can explore our careers more now,” he adds.
One of the artists that inspires Keetile is the late Thamsanqa “Thami” Mnyele from Alexandra in Gauteng.
Mnyele portrayed his art through drawings and paintings that expressed the sufferings of black people under the apartheid government. In 1979 he was forced into exile in Botswana where he continued with his activism through art as part of the Medu Art Ensemble.
In 1985, Mnyele was brutally murdered by the South African Defense Force (SADF), his work was burned down and some of it was taken by the soldiers and was never seen again.
These are the stories that influence Keetile. He infuses the African ancestry culture and historical artists to produce digital art that speaks to the present and the future.
Keetile identifies himself as a Digital Artist and his artistic name is “Grimmz”.
“Digital art is the use of any form of technology to generate art works through computers. A digital artist can be an animator, illustrator, developer for games, cartoons and films. This enables me to mix a variety of work in my discipline and to have the freedom of doing what I am passionate about,” he explains.
“Currently, I do a lot of painting, especially canvas painting and illustration. I get to express myself a lot and I love to include African style, hence my work is very colorful and inspired by Ndebele patterns,” he adds.
His work saw him come at the top of the annual Fak’ugesi Festival competition in 2021.
The artwork that made him to win the competition was a smart city design, depicting when people in South Africa will be living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era.
Keetile won cash prizes and more than anything he is grateful that he was introduced to the platform to get marketing and networking exposure that helped him to strengthen his career and grow his name in the industry.
Fak’ugesi Digital Innovation Festival
Creative Director of the Fak’ugesi Digital Innovation, Eduardo Cachucho calls on the youth to participate in this year’s competition.
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