Agnes Martin's words ring true in the contemporary art world. People often require a reason for art, a backstory, or an explanation for the emotions that a particular piece evokes. 

However, in the realm of music, pure emotion is enough. Mankebe Seakgoe, a young and emerging artist in the Johannesburg art scene, is challenging this conventional way of understanding art. 

With her unique text drawings and sculptures, Seakgoe is making reference to Black thought and literature while questioning the ways in which histories are narrated in relation to the experiences of Black women.

Seakgoe's art is informed by knowledge-making and disseminating processes. Through her mediums of drawing, sculpture, and text, she asks important questions about how narratives are constructed and how they play out socially. 

She uses the self as a sounding board, connecting distant voices and stories into the realm of the arts. In this way, Seakgoe's art becomes a means of working through understanding.

One of Seakgoe's biggest fears as an artist is the fear of being labelled. As a multidisciplinary artist, Seakgoe's work cannot be confined to one art practice or medium. She refuses to be put in a box, and her artistic process reflects this. 

Seakgoe alludes to how she often practises in circles, as if picking from branches for inspiration. Her art is not bound by genre, medium, or even time. Instead, Seakgoe is free to explore and experiment with different techniques, mediums, and subjects.

This fear of labelling is particularly poignant in the contemporary art world where, more often than not, artists are expected to stick to one medium or style. Seakgoe's refusal to be confined to one artistic practice challenges the traditional art world and invites the audience to consider the different ways in which art can be expressed. 

Her art becomes a means of breaking down the boundaries between mediums and genres, inviting the audience to see the world in a new and unconventional way.

Seakgoe further tackles in her work; how to explain human and emotional 'feeling.' 

This is rooted in the idea that art should not need an explanation and that it should evoke emotions without the need for words. However, in the contemporary art world, this is often not the case. Artists are often expected to explain their work and creative process, and their emotions are often seen as secondary to the concept or idea behind the piece.

Seakgoe's art, however, challenges this notion. Her text drawings, for example, question the ways in which emotions can be expressed through words. Seakgoe uses language in a way that transcends its conventional meaning, allowing the audience to connect with the emotions that the words evoke. 

Her text drawings are not just a representation of language but a representation of feeling and emotion. They are a means of communicating emotions without the need for explanation.

Seakgoe also tackles bringing design into art and not art into design. She refuses to be confined to one artistic practice, and her art often blurs the lines between design and fine art. Seakgoe's sculptures, for example, are not just beautiful objects but also functional. 

They invite the audience to engage with the piece in a different way, allowing the audience to see the world from a new perspective. Her art becomes a means of breaking down the boundaries between design and art, challenging traditional notions of what art should be.

Finally, Seakgoe uses her art as a way of working through understanding

Mankebe Seakgoe's work is a testament to the power of questioning conventional ways of understanding and communicating. Through her use of charcoal, text drawings, and sculptures, she highlights the complexities of being a Black woman and the various narratives that shape our understanding of history. 

Her stand-back from being labelled under one art practice or medium is a reflection of her desire to push beyond the boundaries of what is considered acceptable or conventional.

In her work, Seakgoe demonstrates that the process of creating and disseminating knowledge is not a straightforward one. The fear of explaining human and emotional ‘feeling’ is a reminder that some things cannot be easily put into words and require a different kind of understanding. 

It is in these moments that we can see the power of art in shaping our understanding of the world.

Through her process of picking inspiration from various branches, Seakgoe highlights the importance of being open to new ideas and experiences. 

She reminds us that art is not just about the final product, but about the journey of exploration and discovery. In this way, Seakgoe's work can be seen as a celebration of the creative process and a call to embrace the unknown.

The relationship between design and art is a complex one, and Seakgoe's work reminds us that it is possible to bring design into art without losing the essence of what makes art, well, art. Her use of art as a tool for understanding is a powerful reminder of the role that art can play in our lives, helping us to make sense of the world around us and connecting us to experiences beyond our own.

In the end, Mankebe Seakgoe's work speaks to the power of creativity, the importance of questioning the status quo, and the limitless possibilities of artistic expression. In a world that often demands explanation, Seakgoe's work reminds us that sometimes, the pure emotion of art is enough.

So, from music, we accept pure emotion, but from art, we demand explanation. Mankebe Seakgoe's work challenges us to question this demand and to embrace the emotional power of art, just as Agnes Martin's quote suggests. 

Her work is a testament to the power of creative expression and a call to all artists to push beyond the boundaries of what is considered conventional.

With this, Mankebe Seakgoe is our Visionary in Focus this week 

Later this week we explore the work and creative process of another artist whose interview you can not miss!

Stay focused…