Onkgopotse Mongae is a self taught artist from Pretoria, South Africa. His journey with art began at a young age when he would shape animals from modelling clay, an early sign of his creativity and interest in making things by hand. Over time, this grew into a strong passion for sculpture and ceramics. His work is guided by surrealism, which he uses to explore deep emotions and symbolic connections. In sculpture, Mongae often works with canes and self made rocks to express the theme of emotional confinement, reflecting ideas of struggle, isolation and resilience. In ceramics, his focus shifts towards humanity and nature, combining tree roots, bark and branches with human features to show how people and the natural world are closely linked. He also draws on biblical references as an inspiration, using them to build his body of work and connect ideas of humanity and nature. Mongae is still developing his style as an emerging artist.
