Small-town artist joins the legacy
SANDTON – Motau has one of her largest and more intricate textile pieces on display at Legacy's Leonardo Hotel in Sandton – Africa's tallest building at 55 storeys.
Lerato Motau went from being a 16-year-old girl with a passion for art to a respectable artist with two pieces of hers dawning the hallways of Leonardo Hotel.
Born and bred in Orlando West, Soweto, Motau’s journey began when she was diagnosed with a learning disability and her mother was on the hunt for a new school for her to attend. With not that many options available at the time, Motau ended up at an art school.
“At first it was difficult because I was the youngest in my class and there weren’t many people around that were my age. Nonetheless, I grew into it because I knew that this was the path that I was intended to follow,” she said.
Today, Motau has one of her largest and more intricate textile pieces on display at Legacy’s Leonardo Hotel in Sandton – Africa’s tallest building at 55 storeys. Titled Fabric of the Universe, the embroidered piece is 17m long, accompanied by an additional 4mx4m piece.
“I was commissioned by Trinity Session to do the art pieces and thought why not because I hadn’t done anything bigger than a 3mx3m before. When I actually started, I had to divide it into three sections, that is how big it really was,” she chuckled.
With the help of two assistants, Motau worked on the piece nonstop for two months. “I worked on it every day and everywhere that I could –my sister’s house, in the back seat of a car and even at my parents’ house.”
Motau remains eternally grateful for the opportunity that was given to her by Trinity and Legacy. “People would always tell me that ‘people will only start knowing about who you are when you’re dead’ but now, just as the name of those who own the building, in a way this opportunity allows me and many other artists to be part of that legacy.”
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