Biography

Ramarutha Makoba was born in Soweto, Johannesburg South Africa in1984. At the age of 13 he attended art classes at a local community centre. He later attended workshops at the Johannesburg Art Gallery as well as completing a two year course at FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artists). He joined Artist Proof Studio in 2004, receiving certificates of excellence in his First and Second Year.  He completed his Third Year in professional printmaking in 2007. Makoba has exhibited at the District Six 50^th Commemoration Print Exchange and Group Exhibition, Group Exhibition at Seosame Gallery(2016), Solo Exhibition at Art Room; “Change The World”, Group Exhibition at David Krut Art Gallery Group Exhibition at Lizamore Gallery amongst others.

Makoba currently is a facilitator at the Artist Proof Studio Outreach Program ‘Artist in Arks’ and also facilitates at Little Artists School Project in Berea. He practices as a full time artist.

Artist Statement

Trees are a metaphor for families around the communities. I feel that a tree is a good metaphor to represent life, for instance, when you teach someone it’s like planting a tree and when it grows, it bears fruits, this is a sign of gaining knowledge and being productive.

My art works explores themes of community and family relationships in his recognizable charcoal, pastel and acrylic drawings. In these drawings the grit of daily life is interspersed with brightly colored trees and portraits of people from his community. The community uses trees for shades and some members solve community problems under the tree, that’s the reason why my artworks have rural, township and urban settlement representing the community.

I also use portraits to represent members of the community. I want my artworks to inspire people, for them to relate and change the world. Some of my art works I use a blindfold as a metaphor ignorance reason being, I as an artist teaching is another way to open the child’s future because they don’t know anything is blindfolded.

I dedicate much of my time out of the studio giving back to the community. I see my role as an educator as empowering the children I work with in helping they see a future beyond their current situation, lifting their blindfold and opening their minds and eyes to what is possible. Representing the family unit as a tree is a nature of these children and their families that allow their roots to take hold and to give them a future worth working towards.

 The roots represent a time frame of where the person is coming from, then the stem and the branches represent growth and success. The community uses trees for shade and some members solve community problems under the tree. I want my artworks to inspire people, for them to relate and change the world.