Description
BIOGRAPHY OF GILBERT MAEPA
Gilbert Maepa was born in 1992 in Limpopo, South Africa. He moved to Sasolburg with his parents in 1997 and spent most of his formative years there. Sasolburg is a small industrial town located in Free State which forms part of the Vaal Triangle Region.
Maepa’s art talent was detected at an early age by his parents and teachers who encouraged him to consider pursuing a career in the arts. He was later introduced to Zamdela community art centre in secondary school and subsequently formed a long- lasting relationship with the centre and local artists. His obsession for art prompted him to study Fine Art after Grade 12.
In 2015 Maepa completed his B.Tech in Fine Art at Vaal University of Technology (VUT) and went back to the community art centre to practise as an artist. It was during 2016 while working at the centre that he realized the demanding need to encourage art participation in the community, and subsequently he developed a love for education. He eventually enrolled for a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education course at VUT in 2017 while working at the art centre to fund his studies. After completing his education studies, the institution offered him a part- time job as a Fine Art lecturer – a career he pursued for 3 years.
Over the years Maepa participated in numerous art exhibitions, workshops, and dialogues. This included being selected in the top 100 artists in Thami Mnyele national art competition in 2015 and exhibiting his works at FNB art fair in 2015. He also participated in a number of group exhibitions, including the recent first of its kind: Visual Arts Forum of Educators in Southern Africa (VAFESA) 2019 at VUT.
