Xaga Tcuixgao

Xaga Tcuixgao is a quiet shy woman, who was born sometime in the late 1950's, early 1960's in the Ghanzi district of Botswana. During that time her people still lived as hunter-gatherers. She remembers the men returning from the veld with meat, bow and arrow sets over their shoulders. She loved going out into the wide Kalahari veld with her mother and the other women to gather tubers, berries and other veld food. The nicest of all foods were the Khuts'uu, (Kalahari truffle) which they could find after the late rains. Xaga Tcuixgao remembers times when the rain stayed away and the veldfood was scarce. She would prefer to forget the times of drought. She remembers the cosiness of the fire circles and the many dances at night. These are some of her very special memories.

During those times nobody ever told her to go to school, but times changed quickly and she soon had to leave her carefree childhood to become a childminder on one of the big farms where she also helped with the laundry and housecleaning.

X'aga Tcuixgao's brother Qwaa Mangana (who died in 1996) was an artist at the Kuru Art Project whose vision remains the most original of all the artists who have worked at the project. When she saw what he was doing, she thought she could also be an artist. Until then she satisfied her creativity with craftmaking and beadwork, which she enjoys up to this day.

Tcuixgao joined the Kuru Art Project in 1997 where her talent was soon recognised. She enjoys painting in oils as well as making prints. The sensitive qualities of her etchings, together with the honesty of subject matter, make her work outstanding. Tcuixgao's favourite subjects are the things she knows so well from childhood. The veldfood, birds and small creatures such as tortoises and beetles. The veldfood has become for her and the other female artists, the symbol of life. It symbolises times of abundance and prosperity for her people. She works in a spontaneous and direct way from memory. She has no specific colour preference but enjoys all colours and chooses them at random depending on her mood.

Although she does not usually speak much, X'aga's voice has found fulfilment in her art. It gives her self-esteem and joy to portray the things so close to her heart.

The Kuru Art Project

Artists

New Editions

Lithographs 2006