Lawrence Lemaoana
Lawrence Lemaoana was born in Johannesburg in 1982, where he lives and works. His art critically engages with mass media in present-day South Africa. Seeing the relationship between media and the ‘people’ as inherently problematic, he identifies and repurposes existing control apparatuses using his trademark cynicism. Lemaoana’s embroidered works are emblazoned with appropriated political dictums woven in kanga fabric – a material with its own complex ancestry. Here, Lemaoana wages criticism on the agency of local media, and its ability to shape social consciousness: the result turns didactic and propagandistic tools on their head.
His work features in prominent local and international collections, including Sindika Dokolo Fondation, Luanda, IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town, Louis Vuitton Fondation, Paris, The Leridon Collection, Paris and Lafayette Anticipation, Paris.
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