Young local draftswoman depicts social issues through painting
ALEXANDRA – Boipelo Rakau tells the stories of her township of Alexandra through elegant art paintings.
The inability of brilliant learners from poor backgrounds to source financial assistance to study at tertiary institutions has forced Alexandra High School Grade 12, art learner, to start raising funds for her tertiary studies next year.
The 17-year-old draftswoman, Boipelo Rakau who lives with her uncle and her younger brother on 5th Avenue, said she started doing artworks at a young age and she was in a campaign to raise funds to buy more painting material and a laptop that she can specifically use for her work. “The struggles of other bright learners who did their matric before me and couldn’t go to university served as a learning curve for me.
“Next year, I would like to go to university to do a degree in art and I don’t want to be a burden to my parents when it comes to registration fees and other stuff. I am producing more artworks to sell so that I can raise funds for next year when I go to tertiary.”
Boipelo, who tells stories of her township of Alexandra through elegant art paintings, said every event or incident that happens in the community has to be told in different ways.
“Every time I see something happening I develop an artistic idea of how it can be communicate to others.”
She added that her love for art overcame the voice of doubt that was planted by those who advised her to choose other subjects because art had no future.
“The problem of the society we live in is that it doesn’t understand art. There is no such a thing that because you did art at school you will not have a job in the future. That is why I would like to own my art gallery one day so that I teach the young ones about art.”
Related article:
Alexandra’s Skeen Primary School is given a facelift with a splash of paint
