Thato Mothobi: South African visual artist using auto-ethnographic photography to explore memory, migration, and belonging

Thato Mothobi is a South African visual artist from Pretoria, Gauteng, currently in his fourth year of Fine Arts at the University of Pretoria. His practice spans photography, digital montage, printmaking, and installation, united by an auto-ethnographic inquiry into memory, migration, and belonging in post-apartheid South Africa.

His ongoing series, The Space Between, maps the emotional distance between leaving and returning to his childhood community through family archives, domestic objects, and constructed environments.

He was a Top 100 finalist in the Sasol New Signatures Competition in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and a Top 10 participant in the Tlhagella Incubation Programme at the Javett Art Centre in 2025.

Mothobi has exhibited at the Pretoria Art Museum, Javett-UP Museum, Tshwane Capital Art Fair, and Cape Town Art Print Fair, as well as internationally in France and Eswatini.

How did you get started in photography?

I started photography in 2024, during my second year of studying Fine Arts, when it was introduced as a medium-based project. It was my first time handling a proper digital camera, a big one with a large lens, and I was astounded by how beautiful the photographs were. As I documented and captured images, I found myself completely mesmerised by the process itself.

As part of that project, we were learning the basics of photography, which meant going out to search for inspiration. I was truly inspired by apartheid-era photographers like Santu Mofokeng and Peter Magubane, among many others who documented the struggle and captured reality with such honesty and beauty. Contemporary and post-apartheid photographers also drew my eye.

Essentially, that is what drew me in. I wanted to do the same, document real-life stories and let the photograph speak for itself. That is how I got into photography, and I have continued with it ever since, still drawn to the camera's ability to document stories that tell themselves.

How would you describe yourself?

I am a spiritual man rooted in the Christian faith. I am a hard worker, and I love going the extra mile to get the job done. I am very diligent and considerate in what I do.

I am a visionary, and I love to plan and set goals for myself. I am also a talker, or yapper, especially when it comes to art. I love empowering people whenever I am given the opportunity to. I am very big on ubuntu and just having a community.

What are the main themes that inspire your photography?

My main themes are memory and nostalgia, returning and belonging, and migration and displacement. I use my images to connect with others by ensuring that my concepts are subjective and relatable in every aspect.

I want people from all sorts of backgrounds to be able to receive the work, speak to it, break it down, or even simply find it visually pleasing.

What moment in your career are you most proud of?

Being able to exhibit my work at the Javett-UP Museum has been a significant moment in my career, as it boosted my reputation within the art industry. Having my photographs presented in that space increased my confidence in photography as my medium and pushed me to continue pursuing my passion.

Since that exhibition, I have been connected to curators, artists, and galleries of all sorts. As an emerging artist, that means a lot to me.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a photographer?

As a photographer, realising that I am not technically gifted like other photographers. I am not big on photographic rules, techniques, or camera settings. I just love documenting and creating new moments.

That was challenging, especially when I was heading into the conceptual photography industry. I realised that people there are very focused on technicalities. I do not neglect that part of my art, but it is not something I am very big on.

I prefer creating what looks good and makes sense to my eye. That is how I overcame that challenge, by sticking to my voice.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a photographer?

As a photographer, realising that I am not technically gifted like other photographers. I am not big on photographic rules, techniques, or camera settings. I just love documenting and creating new moments.

That was challenging, especially when I was heading into the conceptual photography industry. I realised that people there are very focused on technicalities. I do not neglect that part of my art, but it is not something I am very big on.

I prefer creating what looks good and makes sense to my eye. That is how I overcame that challenge, by sticking to my voice.

What type of photography do you specialise in?

Auto-ethnographic photography. I chose this speciality because it enables me to use my life to tell new stories. I used to prefer traditional documentary photography, but I realised that many photographers prefer this as well, so I wanted to stand out from them.

What is your primary commercial niche?

I am a freelance photographer who works with galleries and corporate companies. I also work with individual clients through portraits and events.

What is your unique technical or visual approach?

My project's process is investigative, and sometimes that is the art itself. I use layering across photography, digital montage, and installation to bring images into physical space.

I aim to create images where the past and present occupy the same frame. Visually, my work is quiet, deliberate, and drawn to the ordinary. Within it is a tension between stillness and searching, belonging and being outside.

The images feel unresolved because the work is about the searching and investigating, rather than the arrival.

Which global brands, photographers, or industries do you feel your work aligns with most?

My work aligns with photographers who use photography as a tool for memory, identity, and social commentary.

I look at Lebohang Kganye, whose performative use of family archives resonates with my layered approach. Santu Mofokeng, whose quiet documentation of Black life informs my visual sensibility. Roger Ballen, whose psychological, stage-like environments influence my installation work.

How is the photography and art space in South Africa?

Photography has been a permanent part of the South African art space. It was prominent during the apartheid era and remains prominent in the post-apartheid period.

Subject matter has become more evolved and experimental. Photography is appreciated in South Africa, and although it does not sell as much as some other mediums, it is still valued.

What is one professional standard you never compromise on?

I do not compromise on the value of my work. I have a skill that I have refined over the years, and it must not be neglected or undermined through my pricing or the way my work is presented.