Rotondwa Ravele - Fine Artist
Rotondwa is an artist based in Johannesburg. Her work focuses on the integration of healing and nature.
I am an honours Fine Art graduate at the University of the Witwatersrand. I have always had an interest in art, whether it be painting, arts and crafts, writing poetry or simply drawing. This is how I worked towards building a strong body of work throughout my degree. My practice consists of mixed media as I like to explore different ways to express my work through. It has been something that I’ve been doing and taking part in my entire childhood. Having a career in art has never been something I thought I would venture into for many reasons. Art chose me and it’s a career I am more than ready and willing to pursue.
My concept has always been based on gardens and centered around nature and has thus progressed to finding healing within nature. Beyond the garden is a concept which I developed from the beginning of the year about a journey through a magical enchanted garden. The work has been titled ‘Beyond the garden’ simply because gardens are overlooked and unappreciated. There is more to gardens than what we see, and that is what I intend to achieve. For gardens to be seen from my perspective.
The main objective was to create a new garden, this garden will draw on the perspective that gardens are multidimensional, only if we allow ourselves to find the mystery and hidden life that gardens hold. In my garden, nothing is of the ordinary, which is exactly what makes a garden,
wonder and imagination
I wanted to further expand this concept on gardens to which it began to link to all these traumas and painful experiences that I faced as I child that has made me who I am today. I loved to draw and typically my favourite thing to draw were flowers. Not only those but trees and butterflies too. It is where I found peace. It’s where my fascination with flowers and gardens all began.
This work is about a journey of healing my inner child. Our inner child is a representation of ourselves at multiple points in our childhood, and we can have inner children from various ages. This part of us is very much connected to our natural enthusiasm, curiosity, and creativity we experienced as actual children.
As adults, we walk around carrying wounds from our childhood, whether it's simple or complex trauma, from emotional neglect to physical abuse. Many adults feel they're alone with these memories and feelings.
Throughout the process of this building my body of work, my concept has developed from what it was in the beginning. This creation of a garden is not just a garden, it reflects who I am. I have always resonated with nature and I always aim to display that in all my artworks.
Education
2019 - 2022
University of the Witwatersrand
Exhibitions
Group
2019
AFEMS (African feminism conference)
Tragedy vs Tradition
The Point of Order
Contact Me
061 160 1509