M.Sc. Rock Art Studies (by research) in the Rock Art Research Institute, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies (GAES), Faculty of Science University of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg, 2016. / Northern Sotho, Khoekhoe, and San rock art occur together in many shelters across South Africa’s Limpopo province. In some cases, specimens of the rock art of these traditions can be seen to be painted directly over one another. By studying such occurrences on the Makgabeng plateau, this project assesses whether the superimposition of rock art among different painting traditions can reveal new insights regarding the painters and their relationships with ‘others’. By looking at how the social life of the rock art is manipulated through superimposition, this study aims to uncover how this manner of consumption reflects upon the nature of the interaction among people of different painting traditions. / LG2017

International Passports: Portraits of the Nigerian Diaspora considers notions of 'alienation‘ and 'nation-hood‘ through the lens of portraiture. This dissertation addresses issues of identity and representation in a contemporary cultural context as they pertain to the concerns presented through my current visual practice. The paintings that I have produced from 'real‘ life are primarily depictions of Nigerian individuals, friends and acquaintances (professionals and students) residing in Grahamstown, South Africa as temporary or permanent migrants. I reference the mug shot pose of identity documents and passport photographs and render them in such a way that ideas of their persona are subject to the viewer‘s gaze and deliberations, thus provoking the spectator to consider questions of 'otherness‘ and 'stereotypes‘. This provocation is subtle and complex, and in many ways I am offering the viewer a 're-looking‘, an opportunity to examine one‘s moral position and subsequent implication within the act of stereotyping an 'other‘ individual. The initial idea within this body of work was to paint images of Nigerian nationals exclusively, yet the restrictive nature of such categorization pushed me to complicate certain nationalist ideologies through the inclusion of non-Nigerian individuals. I look specifically at notions of the 'other‘ and 'strangeness‘ in a contemporary South African context and how this connects to the concept of portraiture and not simply portraiture theory but also the social theory in relation to how people are 'imaged‘. Throughout this thesis I consider several theoretical concerns in portraiture practice and discourse whilst simultaneously unpacking the psychological and social contexts that influence my practice.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Johannesburg, 1996 / South African and American public rock art sites are in a predicament. In both countries, there is a lack of an adequate, theoretically informed but practically implementable, conceptual approach to presenting these sites. This lack leads to the reproduction of stereotypes of rock art and the indigenous people who made it. This thesis suggests a way of rectifying the present situation. It is argued that any suggested reconstruction of public rock art sites must recognise that they are implicated in identity-formation. Following this premise, a strategy, entitled metaphoric pilgrimage, is suggested, developed and applied to four rock art sites - two in South Africa and two in America.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Fine Arts, 2017 / The central question I want to ask in this dissertation is: How to paint a highway? It sounds simple, but considering all that highways represent, the answer is anything but straightforward. The motivation for this study came about due to my travels on the N1 between two of my homes - one in Johannesburg, Gauteng, and the other in Rosendal, eastern Free State. [No abstract provided. Information taken from introduction]. / XL2018

A Research Report to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Arts (Fine Art), 2016 / The core of the study for this MA examines expressions and understandings of human dignity/seriti, in the work of Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993), Nhlanhla Xaba (1960-2003), Zwelethu Mthethwa (b.1960) and in my own paintings. As such, the study probes, analyses and questions the intentions, writings on and readings of these artists’ work, as well as appropriate and build on their visual and representational languages. Underlying the research is the idea of black consciousness, and quest for an ideology of a more human and equal South Africa. The subject of my paintings evolves around seriti in Sofaya, an informal settlement in the northeast of Johannesburg, which is not located on official maps of the city. I set out this study with the argument, that all human beings retain seriti as a quality that bestows respectability and equality to them. The practical component is comprised of paintings in oil. The work tries to capture a personal and spiritual quality that I call seriti through explorations of colour, paint mark, and texture. I am curious about the concept of seriti as seen through everyday experiences. I am moved by the imaginative ability of both Sekoto and Xaba’s images that weave communal and socio-political narratives to portray, positively, people’s capacity to outlive harsh and conflicting living conditions. As a result of these influences, I employ dynamic brushwork, poetic colours, and expressive forms in an attempt to portray the realities, agency, and the place of Sofaya. / MT2017