Talking Points: Xgaoc’o X’are
How can we explore the world around us through print?
Xgaoc’o X’are’s painterly artworks are inspired by the landscapes and wildlife around him. His expressive approach shares qualities with Naïve Art, using simplified shapes, playful perspectives and rich detail to capture what he sees and experiences. His work shows us how the natural world can become an exciting starting point for exploring shape, colour and composition through print.
Take a look at the following images and use the questions below to begin a discussion about the work of Xgaoc’o X’are.
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Xgaoc’o X’are
Two Giraffe and Two Birds II- Botswanan Printmaker Xgaoc’o X’are
Two giraffe and two birds II, Mono print, Xgaoc’o X’are, 50 x 65 cm
Xgaoc’o X’are grew up on a farm in the Ghanzi District in Western Botswana. He now makes mono prints inspired by his knowledge and love of the Kalahari.
For Xgaoc’o, art gives him the opportunity to put the ideas in his head on a canvas in beautiful naive forms and playful colours. His work is informed by a childhood spent working on farms and hunting with his father and brother for food.
His work is a reflection of his love of the Kalahari Desert and captures the essence of the rock art created centuries ago by his ancestors in Twyfelfontein. The oldest engravings are thought to be as old as 10,000 years.
He signs his work in his Naro name Qhaqhoo.
“Engravings at Twyfelfontein” by hobgadlng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Xgaoc’o X’are’s (Qhaqhoo) work displays a strong sense of pattern, skewed perspectives and uneven shapes with rich detail. His work is reminiscent of Naive Art, which breaks the rules of the traditional 3 rules of perspective. These rules affect size, colour and the level of detail with distance.
Having had no formal art training Xgaoc’o X’are (Qhaqhoo) draws on his personal experiences and ancestral history to capture a beautiful instinctive approach to materials, colour and composition.
See more of Xgaoc’o X’ares work here.
The Naro language uses clicking noises in its phonetic alphabet. To pronounce the Naro name ‘Qhaqhoo’ we recommend looking at a phonetic table for creating the click noise ‘Qh’. Please do let us know if you have any more information relating to the pronunciation.
Questions to Ask Children
Describe what you see.
How does it make you feel?
Which words would you use to describe the whole piece?
How has the artists experience influenced this artwork?
What comparisons can you make between the artists work and the rock engravings?
Make a list of all the animals you often see in your environment.
This Talking Points Is Used In...
Pathway:Exploring the world though mono print
using sketchbooks to make visual notes
Show me what you see
karen Smith
March 20, 2024 @ 12:25 pm
Hi
We have been studying X’are and my children have loved exploring his art work and have asked many questions. We would love it if we were able to email him with these questions or he could reply to this somehow.
Rachel
March 25, 2024 @ 10:37 am
Hi Karen, as far as we know there isn’t a direct contact for X’are, but he is part of an art collective that you can look at/contact via here: https://kuruart.com. I hope that helps and that’s so lovely to hear your class have been enjoying exploring his work!
Lissa K
December 10, 2024 @ 10:57 am
Hi there, how do you pronounce Xgaoc’o X’are’s name? We want to ensure we are saying it correctly when teaching! x
Rachel
December 16, 2024 @ 10:16 am
Hi Lissa, it might be worth contacting the artist collective he is part of as we’re aware of the importance of this. The two addresses you can try are: mark@artistspress.co.za or tamar@artistspress.co.za. I hope this helps!
Sally M
January 23, 2025 @ 9:19 pm
Hi Lissa, did you get any response from the above emails with regards to pronunciation? We are also interested in this. Thanks, Sally