Celestial Deities
Solo Exhibition of HAKOPIKE curated by KETEMU PROJECT
South African-based artist Hakopike was born and raised in Johannesburg as Amy-Leigh Braaf has been working as a painter, illustrator, and photographer for the last 8 years.
Being a South African woman she was labeled from the moment she was born and started exploring oral stories and ancestry in her family from a young age. This was the catalyst that caused her to question the validity of documenting history through story-telling primarily.
This led her to apply for artist residency at Ketemu Project where she started her canvas pieces to depict these characters combining her knowledge of who they might have been and what their descendants are like now. Through symbolism, story-telling, and vibrant colors – this art series is aimed to bring light to those who didn’t have voices but are rich with stories that have never been told.
𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝘿𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 became a channel of exploration and self-discovery of “Those who came before” and who have passed on to the other side but have gifted her with a long line of heritage. 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝘿𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 is a collective exploration of redefining womanhood, artistry and shared experiences in relation to those who came before us.
Opening and Artist talk Friday, 10 March 2022 at 6 PM
Exhibition Period
Friday, 10 - 17 March 2023
Venue
Uma Seminyak @umaseminyak
Jl. Kayu Cendana Oberoi No.1, Seminyak.
South African-based artist Hakopike was born and raised in Johannesburg as Amy-Leigh Braaf has been working as a painter, illustrator, and photographer for the last 8 years.
Being a South African woman she was labeled as “colored” from the moment she was born and started exploring oral stories and ancestry in her family from a young age. This was the catalyst that caused her to question the validity of documenting history through story-telling primarily. Celestial Deities became a channel of exploration and self-discovery of “Those who came before” and who have passed on to the other side but have gifted her with a long line of heritage. After being told that her great-grandmother had Indonesian and Japanese heritage, she decided to focus on what being racially ambiguous in South Africa meant. Her other heritage includes “Cape Malay” so she wanted to showcase the mixed culture of colored people in South Africa who formulated their local dishes, and ways of coping mentally with the traumatic years that were caused during and after the Apartheid.
This led her to Ketemu Project where she started her canvas pieces to depict these characters
combining her knowledge of who they might have been and what their descendants are like now. Through symbolism, story-telling, and vibrant colors – this art series is aimed to bring light to those who didn’t have voices but are rich with stories that have never been told.