Detail is the name of the game for South African illustrator Lebo Tladi. His pen and ink drawings resemble Buddhist tapestries in their layouts, with concentric circles representing the interconnected worlds that exist in his imagination. Each work is packed with nature motifs inspired by his childhood in South Africa’s rural Limpopo province, home to the Seussian Baobab trees of Kruger National Park. He also includes animal-headed Hindu and Egyptian gods and scientific imagery including organs, DNA, and star charts, all woven together with fine black lines.
“I want you to look at my work as something new,” the 22-year-old artist tells The Creators Project. “It’s created to shock, evoke emotion, touch, inspire and most importantly, to leave you pondering.” By throwing so much information at viewers, Tladi hopes to give them the chance to make their own choices about what it represents. “By all means, make as many stories as you can about the works while you try to relate with what you see in front of you. My bizarre thoughts are meant to be shared with the world.”
