Amogelang Pila Ditlhale, Celebrating South African Art

Amogelang Pila Ditlhale was born in Pretoria on 10 May 1993. Even as a child, she believed that art could heal and inspire people. As she grew up, she balanced being a daughter, sister, friend, mother and wife with her love for art.

She studied Integrated Brand Communications at Vega and attended the Phakama Women’s Academy. These experiences gave her a strong foundation for her future work. Amogelang also learned glassmaking at TUT’s Art Campus and completed courses in Art Therapy and Art Direction.

Amogelang Pila Ditlhale Art Pieces

Determined to help others through art, she founded Healer of the World Arts (NPC) North and became the creative director of Purculier (Pty) Ltd. She also co-founded the Made 4 You Artist Residency, creating spaces for new artists to grow.

Her work has been shown in many exhibitions and events—from the Bheka The Way Night Experience in Soweto to a virtual exhibition on coping with COVID-19. Her projects, which often focus on mental health and empowering women, show that art can bring people together.

Amogelang Pila Ditlhale Art Pieces

Artist Statement

“As a mixed media visual artist and an art experimentalist, I find interest in examining and navigating in spaces of exploration and expression that often portray my attentiveness towards the broadness of social change, renewal, spirituality, companionship and positive representation for black/brown people. In doing so, I create mixed media artworks that incorporate recycled materials that are theoretically and metaphorically linked to a particular subject within the stated interests. I have expanded my expression to performance art which appraises the significant value of African spirituality and characterization of black love through body art and vocal chanting.

Within these artistic intersections, I have several bodies of work (series’) such as ‘The Reimagination of Blackness’: A combination of portraits and symbolic art that is relayed on colouful celestial backgrounds as representation of our spirited power and immortality, ‘Kopano Le Kgolaganyo’: addressing the power of social and racial integration and  ‘Life in a Plastic bag’ that looks deeper into the food vendor system used by many families as a means of everyday survival. The work that I produce is often reflected through my lens of being a woman, a mother and a cultural producer with the responsibility of using visual storytelling as a means of fostering change”

Amogelang Pila Ditlhale Art Pieces

Amogelang works with many organisations, Handmade Contemporary Fair, Rumba In The Jungle, Beyond The Lockdown: Coping with COVID-19, Bag Factory Annual Summer Salon, ANEW Resorts Hunters Rest: 3-month exhibition, Beautiful Things Exhibition, O Mang? O Tswa Kae? O Ya Kae? Group Exhibition, Vivid Dreams Exhibition (Ellis House Gallery), Matriarch Exhibition- BASA x IDC Gallery.

Now based in Rustenburg, Amogelang continues to share her art and help others discover their creative talents, proving that art can change lives and build a brighter future for South Africa.