Lebogang Mogul Mabusela

This work has been kindly donated by the artist

Lebobang Mabusela’s was born in a small town called Mabopane. Her work comprises of a series of figurative monotype prints, imbued with humour and storyboard-like compositions. These works capture scenes featuring two figures: a man cat-calling a woman and her uncomfortable or perplexed response. Words familiar to us all sprawl at the bottom of each piece, narrating a journey that vividly portrays the challenges of navigating the city as a woman. Currently, she is engrossed in an ongoing project titled “Johannesburg Words” This series employs text-based portraits, rendered in oil pastel drawings and monotype prints, on an intimate scale to depict the pervasive issue of street harassment. Mabusela engages with vernacular phonetics to spotlight how the streets of Johannesburg serve as a crucible of cultures, where familiar oral encounters with unfamiliar men intersect along winding roads, amplifying structures of power at collective sites of vulnerability. Her artistic practice revolves around a focused interrogation of patriarchy, racism, and heteronormativity. The artist addresses these vital themes through a diverse range of formats and methodologies, utilizing printmaking, drawing, and paper sculptures, to delve into the dynamics of the male gaze, voyeurism, and male desire.