MBABANE – A celebration of creativity, culture and artistic expression. Here are a few highlights from our exhibition.
For occupational therapist Noks Nhose, art began not in a gallery, but in the quiet uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a personal escape five years ago, has since blossomed into a compelling artistic journey, now culminating in her first major exhibition.
The artist says she never set out to become a painter. During lockdown, with time slowed and emotions heightened, she picked up a brush and discovered a language beyond words.
“I’m an occupational therapist who has been painting for about five years now, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Her entry into the public art space, she admits, was as unexpected as her start. Encouraged by her brother to take some of her works to Bahle Gallery, she reluctantly submitted a few pieces, never anticipating what would follow.
“The exhibition was a surprise to me too. I was encouraged by my brother to take some of my paintings to Bahle. I did, and I was called back with the news of an exhibition. It was validation that my art is really worth it,” she recalls.
That validation came with an intense creative sprint. The majority of the works now on show were produced in just three weeks, a demanding timeline that tested her endurance and deepened her passion.
“Most of the paintings at the exhibition were done in a three-week timeline. It was a lot, but I loved it,” she said.
Nhose works primarily with acrylics, employing a fluid technique of pouring and guiding paint across the canvas. There is no preliminary sketching; the composition lives entirely in her mind before it takes form. By controlling the flow, she translates internal imagery into vibrant, abstract expressions.
“I use acrylic painting, a technique of pouring and flowing the paint onto the canvas and controlling the flow to what I have in my head. There’s no actual sketching, it’s all in my head,” she explained.
For this exhibition, she embraced colour with boldness and intention, experimenting with a variety of techniques to create visual diversity and emotional depth. Each piece, she says, carries its own energy.
Asked to name a favourite, Nhose is resolute, she cannot choose.
“I love all my paintings. They are all different since they are abstract. I could never duplicate a painting. They all just invoke something great in me and hopefully to the people I paint for,” she said.
In her work, the lines between therapist and artist blur both roles rooted in healing, expression and human connection.
