Bio
Thero Makepe is an artist and photographer born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana, working between Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Gaborone. His practice is informed by past and present narratives related to his upbringing and lived experiences in Botswana and South Africa.
Makepe’s work is often resolved in the form of long-form projects that contain existing public and private archival materials, such as family photos, documentary screenshots, and newspaper articles. His approach to photography also employs a variety of photographic styles, including staged portraiture, documentary photography and re-enactments.
In 2019, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts with distinction, majoring in photography at the Michaelis School of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town. In 2023, he was awarded the Foam Talent Award 2024-2025, and in 2024, he received the Prince Claus Seed Award. In 2025, he was selected to be a participant in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. Makepe’s work has been exhibited at the Foam Museum in Amsterdam and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in Frankfurt. Public collections featuring his work include the University of Cape Town Works of Art Collection and the University of Pretoria Art Collection.
He is also a founding member of the Botswana Pavilion, a collective of young artists from Botswana dedicated to advancing Botswana’s creative development and artistic heritage.
Contact
theromakepe@gmail.com
Solo Exhibitions
We Didn’t Choose to be Born Here, Lemkus Gallery, Cape Town, 2025
We Didn’t Choose to be Born Here, Format25 International Photography Festival, Museum of Making, Derby, UK, 2025
It’s Not Going to Get Better, Vela Projects, Cape Town, 2024
Group Exhibitions
(Upcoming) Long Time No See, FOTODOKS – the festival for contemporary documentary photography, Architekturgalerie München, Munich, Germany, 2025
Home, A Group Exhibition by Artists4Equity In support of Reclaim The City, Wolff Architects, Cape Town, South Africa, 2025
Thresholds, Southern Guild, Cape Town, South Africa, 2025
Belfast Photo Festival 2025, Belfast, UK, 2025
Foam Talent 2024, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Frankfurt/Eschborn, 2025
Grammars: A Group Exhibition, Lemkus Gallery, Cape Town, 2024
Process Projected: Tender Photo, What Is Happening Here Gallery, Amsterdam, 2024
The Purpose is Discourse, Curators’ Kiki, Stevenson, Johannesburg, 2024
Foam Talent 2024-2025, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, 2024
INDEX | The Orchid and The Wasp: Thin Lines of Becoming, Latitudes Art Fair, Johannesburg, 2024
Becoming Visible | Online Image Gallery, Autograph, 2024
Yo O Sa Leleng, Botswana National Museum, Gaborone, 2023
Good Neighbours, NIROX Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, 2022
The Botswana Pavilion: Maš(w)i a Ditoro (tsa Rona), Sakhile&Me, Frankfurt, 2022
Unfinished Camp (with the Botswana Pavilion), The Shed NY & Art Basel, 2021
Joe Prussian presents PREMISE, The Box (Old Atterbury St.), Cape Town, 2021
The Botswana Pavilion - Collective Ties, Virtual Exhibition, 2020
CONTESTED SPACE | WATER IS LAND IS AIR, Virtual Exhibition for Latitudes Art Fair, 2020
a_part: Quarantine Collabortion, Virtual Exhibition, 2020
Michaelis Gradshow, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town, 2019
The Botswana Pavilion - Subjective Nationhood, Botswana National Gallery, Gaborone, 2019
The Room, BG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, 2019
The Botswana Pavilion – No Return, Gallery Momo, Cape Town, 2019
Hue and Hue – group pop-up exhibition, Monolith Studios, 140 Canterbury St., Cape Town, 2019
Publications
Foam Magazine #65: Talent
GIDA Journal Vol. III
Blurring the Lines 2020
Collections
The University of Cape Town Works of Art Collection
The University of Pretoria Art Collection
Grants and Awards
British Journal of Photography Article: FORMAT25 Award Winner, 2025
Prince Claus Seed Award, 2024
Der Greif Guest Room Scholarship: Damarice Amao & Matthias Pfaller, 2023
FOAM Talent, 2024-2025
The Claire and Edoardo Villa Will Trust, 2022
Blurring The Lines (Finalist), Paris College of Art, 2020
The Tierney Fellowship Award, 2019
Simon Gerson Prize, 2019
Residencies
The MEP residency – Gervanne Collection + Matthias Leridon – Cité internationale des arts, 2023
Articles & Interviews
Aesthetica Magazine
Artthrob
Artthrob
Between 10 And 5
Booooooom
Booooooom
British Journal of Photography
British Journal of Photography
Contemporary Archive Project
Creative Review
Der Greif
Global Art Daily
i-D
Photoworks
theSystem
Tender Photo
Tique
Tombe Magazine
We Didn’t Choose to be Born Here, Lemkus Gallery, Cape Town, 2025
We Didn’t Choose to be Born Here, Format25 International Photography Festival, Museum of Making, Derby, UK, 2025
It’s Not Going to Get Better, Vela Projects, Cape Town, 2024
Group Exhibitions
(Upcoming) Long Time No See, FOTODOKS – the festival for contemporary documentary photography, Architekturgalerie München, Munich, Germany, 2025
Home, A Group Exhibition by Artists4Equity In support of Reclaim The City, Wolff Architects, Cape Town, South Africa, 2025
Thresholds, Southern Guild, Cape Town, South Africa, 2025
Belfast Photo Festival 2025, Belfast, UK, 2025
Foam Talent 2024, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Frankfurt/Eschborn, 2025
Grammars: A Group Exhibition, Lemkus Gallery, Cape Town, 2024
Process Projected: Tender Photo, What Is Happening Here Gallery, Amsterdam, 2024
The Purpose is Discourse, Curators’ Kiki, Stevenson, Johannesburg, 2024
Foam Talent 2024-2025, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, 2024
INDEX | The Orchid and The Wasp: Thin Lines of Becoming, Latitudes Art Fair, Johannesburg, 2024
Becoming Visible | Online Image Gallery, Autograph, 2024
Yo O Sa Leleng, Botswana National Museum, Gaborone, 2023
Good Neighbours, NIROX Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, 2022
The Botswana Pavilion: Maš(w)i a Ditoro (tsa Rona), Sakhile&Me, Frankfurt, 2022
Unfinished Camp (with the Botswana Pavilion), The Shed NY & Art Basel, 2021
Joe Prussian presents PREMISE, The Box (Old Atterbury St.), Cape Town, 2021
The Botswana Pavilion - Collective Ties, Virtual Exhibition, 2020
CONTESTED SPACE | WATER IS LAND IS AIR, Virtual Exhibition for Latitudes Art Fair, 2020
a_part: Quarantine Collabortion, Virtual Exhibition, 2020
Michaelis Gradshow, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town, 2019
The Botswana Pavilion - Subjective Nationhood, Botswana National Gallery, Gaborone, 2019
The Room, BG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, 2019
The Botswana Pavilion – No Return, Gallery Momo, Cape Town, 2019
Hue and Hue – group pop-up exhibition, Monolith Studios, 140 Canterbury St., Cape Town, 2019
Publications
Foam Magazine #65: Talent
GIDA Journal Vol. III
Blurring the Lines 2020
Collections
The University of Cape Town Works of Art Collection
The University of Pretoria Art Collection
Grants and Awards
British Journal of Photography Article: FORMAT25 Award Winner, 2025
Prince Claus Seed Award, 2024
Der Greif Guest Room Scholarship: Damarice Amao & Matthias Pfaller, 2023
FOAM Talent, 2024-2025
The Claire and Edoardo Villa Will Trust, 2022
Blurring The Lines (Finalist), Paris College of Art, 2020
The Tierney Fellowship Award, 2019
Simon Gerson Prize, 2019
Residencies
The MEP residency – Gervanne Collection + Matthias Leridon – Cité internationale des arts, 2023
Articles & Interviews
Aesthetica Magazine
Artthrob
Artthrob
Between 10 And 5
Booooooom
Booooooom
British Journal of Photography
British Journal of Photography
Contemporary Archive Project
Creative Review
Der Greif
Global Art Daily
i-D
Photoworks
theSystem
Tender Photo
Tique
Tombe Magazine