Banele Khoza was in born in 1994 in Hlatikulu, Swaziland. In 2008 he moved to South Africa and schooled there, until 2011 when he enrolled at the London International School of Fashion for a year, studying Fashion Design. Khoza returned in 2012 and studied Fine Arts at Tshwane University of Technology. Khoza has lectured Drawing and Art Theory at the Tshwane University of Technology. He is based in Pretoria.
“I appreciate the freedom I get from living in South Africa, tackling gender norms and also the idea of painting. There is a rich culture and appreciation of the Arts in this country and it inspires me further. I would have been in a box if I was based in Swaziland - however living in South Africa has allowed me to create my own identity that knows of no boundaries,” says Khoza.
“My work remains embracing the colours blue and pink that socially and commercially differentiates sexes. Pinks and reds are dominating in my backgrounds, it is a consoling colour yet it is uncomfortable for a masculine audience- which is interesting as that in pre-1940’s blues were associated with femininity and pink was seen as strong and masculine. I wish for a society that doesn’t package boys in blue and girls in pink boxes.”
“I believe the work is reflective of a state of mind of where one is new to the world of ‘Adulting’ and in my case, it has been fast-paced. During the course of the creation I was immersed with different projects occurring simultaneously that would consume most of my time. Every night I would return to an empty box - with no one to greet but my paintings. This pattern made me question my life, asking myself ‘Is this it?’, a what is the right amount of ‘busy’ before it starts to intervene with one’s wellbeing. I had to make a conscious decision that I need to do more living - otherwise my picture frame will always be a single figure.”
