Artist statement  

My work consists of reimagining a future flush with art, culture, and technology through a black lens. Through my work I aspire to reinvent the past and the future using traditional patterns in a digital manner incorporating elements of black history and culture by illustrating my contemporary photographic images. Illustration and contemporary photography are one of my primary visual influences which plays a crucial role in my artistic vision. In a vibrant celebration, I combine and collage African textile patterns into geometric shapes that make up figures and portraits of men and women that come from my community. 

To create my artworks, I use symbols that are visual expressions of a society’s culture often signifying the collective wisdom of the African tribes. They communicate knowledge, feelings, and values and therefore play an important role in Africans concept of reality. In my works, I am influenced by pop art, contemporary photography using figures and portraits of men and women, illustration, textures, textiles, and the endless possibilities of patterns you see through the colours and shapes of a kaleidoscope. Through my artistic exploration, the purpose is to reclaim black identity through art. It provides an alternate narrative for understanding the black experiences, often by chronicling black heritage. 

Biography 

Tsako Manuel Hobyani is a self-taught, multi-disciplinary artist who grew up In Freedom Park, Soweto, Johannesburg. In 2018 Hobyani matriculated from Freedom Park Secondary school. Hobyani expresses his most concrete feelings through his artwork, inspired by his ancestral cultural origins. Hobyani uses his passion for photography, graphic design, illustration, and fashion design to nourish his creativity. In 2023, Hobyani illustrated his first children’s book called Zuzu and friends written by Xoliswa Radebe. He had multiple art exhibitions in his neighbourhood and showcased his artwork in community projects and fashion shows. Currently Hobyani is completing his 3rd year at Artist Proof Studio in which he is specialising in various printmaking mediums such as linocut and silkscreen. He believes this will uplift him as a well determined and vigorous artist by improving his skills and be a professional printmaking artist.