BoConcept: Art Focus with Baba Tjeko

This month, BoConcept partners with indigenous artist Baba Tjeko, whose spectacular collection of art will be showcased in the showroom from 17 to 31 May 2022.

Baba Tjeko is renowned for vibrant artwork which is inspired by the vibrancy and depth of African people and their culture. Danish design, on the other hand, is considered minimalist and neutral and thus effortlessly accentuates the vibrancy of Baba Tjeko’s work.

The artist’s pieces will be prominently displayed and viewed during the Design Joburg collective. There will be cookies and wine for all…

More about the artist

Baba Tjeko is a non-conformist multidisciplinary Artist. As a poet, healer, and social activist, Tjeko uses unspoken language. Furthermore, he seeks to communicate the innermost dimensions of our being to his audience. Tjeko’s work is thus spiritually deep, symbolic, and innocent. He is interested in challenging the man-made concept of social classes that categorizes people according to what they have and what they don’t have.

His work, therefore, promotes the philosophy of Ubuntu and human connectedness over ideologies that promote greed and self-centeredness. He completed his Creative Multimedia Diploma (majoring in Advertising Design) with the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) in 2007 and worked as a Graphic Designer for both the private and public sectors.

Furthermore, he did freelance work as an illustrator and commentary cartoonist for various publications such as Move magazine, Sunday Sun, Caxton newspapers, Sunday Times, and others. Tjeko collaborated with Mini South Africa for the release of the African Limited edition Clubman, branded with his artwork. As part of Mini activations, Tjeko also painted a large mural live at the first ArteBotanica 2019. He also worked on Channel O’s on-air new look, branded merchandise, and installations at DJ Black Coffee’s Music Is King concerts, Fact Durban Rocks, and AKA Orchestra On The Square.

Litema

Baba Tjeko is also possibly best known for his Litema paintings and drawings. Litema is a form of Sotho paintings composed of decorative geometric patterns usually featuring objects, from the natural world like farming fields, plants or animals. Last year Nespresso South Africa had an exciting collaboration with local artists, for its new World Explorations to bring the soul of coffee making and coffee drinking as an art form. In 2020 Baba was also part of MINI’s Modern African Gentleman campaign.

We’re excited to see this collaboration unfold as Baba Tjeko takes to the showroom at BoConcept to showcase his amazing talent. Be sure to pop by and come and see it for yourself.