Tshepiso Moropa

My work primarily explores themes of identity, family relations, violence, race, gender, love and sexuality, solitude, and the sense of belonging. The subject matter often includes self-portraits or archived images of African women that I have sourced from library resources or research sites on the internet. I investigate the connection between ourselves and our forgotten ancestors, aiming to bring these historical figures back to life. The archive serves as a site for both excavation and recreation. I use archived images as proxies for memory, especially concerning cultural heritage and the present time. My collages celebrate blackness and pride in our heritage and culture. The focus is on finding a sense of belonging within ourselves, rather than seeking it from others.

Words by Tshepiso Moropa

About Tshepiso Moropa

Tshepiso Moropa (b. 1995) is a collage artist, with an educational background in Psychology, Linguistics and Research. Her unique artistic journey has been marked by a deep passion for the medium and an unwavering commitment to storytelling through the art of collage. Her hand-crafted collages marry a multitude of archival imagery and materials to create visual dialogues exploring the past and present tense of black people, the African diaspora and historical archives. Through her work, she strives to breathe new life into forgotten narratives and to create a visual symphony that resonates with the depths of human experience. Tshepiso has been part of numerous exhibitions including her first solo exhibition at Eclectica Contemporary gallery in Cape Town and featured in publications such as 1854.Photography and the South African newspaper The Mail and Guardian. She is the recipient of the CAP Prize Award 2024 and currently resides in Johannesburg, South Africa.