Biography

Tshegofatso Phore is fascinated by the notion of fragility which is explored through various mediums. In his artwork combine mediums of charcoal, graphite, acrylic paint and spray paint. More recently, ‘smoke’ as a medium is explored due to its unconventional nature and mark making capabilities.

Phore was born 1993 in Tsakane East of Johannesburg. In 2018 he participated in a group exhibition hosted by Stop Sign art gallery, and in the same year was given an opportunity to customize sneakers, hand-held bags and cardholders with Dolce & Gabbana in a pop-up project. 

In 2020 Phore enrolled with Artist Proof Studio. In 2021 he interned at the Artroom Gallery framing artworks. Tshegofatso’s prints were exhibited on a group show, Waste Reclaimers, at Documenta 15, 2022 in Kassel, Germany, as part of the APS, UJ & UP student print collaboration exchange.

Artist Statement

Inside him

In my work I explore the vulnerabilities that I feel I am denied having as a black South African man. Society does not enable men to be powerless, helpless or 'at the mercy of' without being belted with shame or failure. It also does not allow them to be open about these emotions and or feelings, which denies, us men, the opportunity to learn, process and deal with these emotions and to be whole.

I use my body to try to confront these stereotypes & expectations. I try to find my own way of being open (to myself and where necessary) about my vulnerabilities. In my work I use my naked body along with the poses to symbolize being vulnerable. I used text extracted from my poems (one of my forms of self-expression) in order to represent me trying to grapple with becoming comfortable with expressing myself. The use of the dishcloth and pink in my work stems from the association these objects as well as color have with women and the expectations that come with gender roles. Using pink and the dishcloth in relation

I have chosen to use silkscreen printing because of its diverse history, it has been used in different industries (art, design, textile etc.), it also played a big role in advertising. I believe silkscreen is a printing technique and medium that allows me to combine some of my skills sets like photography, drawing and writing to create my current body of work.