RISING STARS

Yentle Nomhle Nyatshane is a 23-year-old self taught visual artist, currently based in Botswana (Raubeng). Yentle was born in Gaborone and raised between the city and her home village, Otse. She started her artist practice professionally after senior school at Gaborone Senior Secondary School. In her practice she creates figurative oil paintings on canvas. She uses a chiaroscuro approach to focus more on the subject to reflect social and cultural issues affecting women in Botswana.

The heart of her work is heavily influenced by the traditional dance leg rattles, (Matlhao) as cultural symbolism in her work. Tshimologo Yentle being her first independent body of work explored self discovery, growth and learning about one’s true essence. It was during the ReCurate mentorship programme and residency, where she worked towards this project of calling into question this theme of current social and cultural constructs that women have to conform to. Her work is inspired by artists in different practices who speak to the same themes. Poets like Warsan Shire, writers like Chimamanda Adiche, and Toni Morrison, who speak about difficult truths that women endure inspired her to speak about brewing social issues in Botswana in relation to women.