I am Viva Sage Thabethe, South African self-taught photographer/visual artist, and textile
product designer born in Soweto. I also grew up in Mpumalanga on a farm with my
grandparents and came back to Jozi (Johannesburg) to begin school.
Over time, I have trained my eye to see art in my everyday life. My work is inspired by the
culture I grew with in South Africa and the entire African continent. The work I create is rough on the edges, not perfectly clean strokes, the reason I keep my work like this is simply saying “take me as I am” . Perfection is not my narrative because nobody is perfect.
My work has evolved from primarily being showcased on Instagram, to broader spaces and
being a catalyst for critical conversations about my country.
I use the African narrative to create artwork that educates, represents creative freedom and
evokes conversations about mental health.
Art has played an important role in my life, it has helped me overcome a lot of challenges and see myself becoming the creative person I am meant to be.