Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 40
Occupation: Artist.
Instagram: @atangtshikare
Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa.
Studio location: Woodstock, Cape Town.
Describe what you make: I create fauna, flora, and biomorphic forms that play between spheres of African myth and culture. The artworks I make can also be used as lighting, seating, storage, and more or as objects of admiration.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Lebone Le Bone is my first and most important design piece because it’s a self-portrait that put my name/work on the world map and announced my arrival on the international scene. It’s a sculpture that functions as light and seating.
Describe the problem your work solves: The objective of my sculptures is to document my Tswana culture in a contemporary medium. All of my sculptures are design or art pieces with a narrative that communicates who I am and where I’m from.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m currently working on a seat made with burnt wood and bronze for a group show at Southern Guild Gallery happening this October in Cape Town.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I’m working on a solo show in Cape Town that includes a short novel, small sculptures, drawings, and a soundscape that will be released in celebration of the first year of my son’s birth on January 30, 2021. It will serve as a legacy to pave the way for his future. The show is aimed at young collectors.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Working alone eating a bowl of fruit at night whilst listening to flowing mixtapes or narrative-laden albums that stretch for five hours a session. A Life in the Day of B19 by Soweto Kinch or The Ziggurat by Constructus.
What you do when you’re not working: With family it’s roadtrips, horse riding, and visiting museums. If I’m alone or with friends, I enjoy adventurous activities with a bit of risk like surfing or kayaking in the ocean and quad biking in the desert.
Sources of creative envy: My mother, nature, Credo Mutwa, Porky Hefer, Andile Dyalvane, African vernacular architecture, and Kanye West.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Technology when I’m in the moment.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Light.
