NWU Gallery Showcases Lerato Motaung’s Reflection On Memory Loss And Belonging

Exhibition title: Ga ke se bope, Ga se ipope: Fragments of what we carryOpening date: 20 May 2026 at 6pmClosing date: 24 July 2026Venue: NWU Gallery (North-West University, Building F16G, Hoffman Street, Potchefstroom. 2530)Featured artist: Lerato MotaungCurated by Khumo Sebambo.

Ga ke se bope, Ga se ipope brings together second-hand luggage that carry traces of previous journeys. Marked, worn, and handled by many hands, these objects arrive already filled with memory. Rather than treating them as empty materials, Motaung allows their histories to exist alongside his own reflections on movement, loss, and carrying. Working with aged suitcases, the artist reactivates objects that might otherwise have been discarded.

Repetition, drawn from painting and printmaking, moves from image-making into the room, where objects repeat and build on one another like layered impressions. Audiences no longer observe from a distance but move around and through the work, encountering materials that hold emotional weight.Fragments shape the exhibition. Memory appears not as a complete narrative but as pieces held together over time.

Born in Katlehong, raised in the Northwest, and now based in Johannesburg, Motaung reflects on identity as something continually formed through history, place, and movement.

About the artist

Lerato Motaung (b. 1991) in Katlehong, Germiston, is a visual artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. After training in drawing at the Johannesburg ArtGallery in 2008, and in sculpture at the Katlehong Art Centre in 2009, he received his diploma in Fine Arts in 2015 from the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria. He was the finalist of the PPC Imaginarium Awards hosted by the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery (2019).

His recent solo installation exhibition Whispers of What Was (2025) at Constitution Hill. He took part in the artist residency programme our Africa, Our Future with Africa Union in Senegal (2022). His group exhibitions to date include: Motaung/ Seakamela, Pretoria Art Museum – Pretoria (2023); Africa Supernova, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands (2023); The Playground, Haart Gallery, London, United Kingdom (2023); Flights Of Fancy, THK X Boschendal X Norval, Cape Town, South Africa (2022).

About the NWU Gallery

The NWU Gallery, based at North-West University in Potchefstroom, the university’s creative haven that nurtures curiosity and interconnectivity. A dynamic cultural space dedicated to showcasing contemporary art and fostering critical dialogue. Committed to supporting emerging and established artists, the gallery serves as a platform for diverse voices and creative practices that engage with social, cultural, and philosophical themes. Through exhibitions, educational programmes, and community initiatives, the NWU Gallery promotes accessibility to the arts and encourages meaningful connections between artists, audiences, and ideas.

The NWU Gallery can be located at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Building F16G, 11 Hoffman Street, Potchefstroom, 2531. Look for the grey building with the red roof.

For more information, please contact: NWU Gallery | Tel: (018) 299 4341 | email: az.ca.uwn@yrellag.

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