Hosea Matlou: Crime Free for a Year

His free-hand drawings often feature his innovative ink-and-flame embossing technique – an alternative technique he developed due to the financial difficulties he experienced. His images are playful and free with a deliberate loose sense of control but considered with deeper meaning and exploration. His free sketches with embossing and half-burned images present real people and scenes he encounters from the city and rural areas. The works often feature men in suits carrying briefcases – strikingly comical but simultaneously serious – reveals his commentary on the cut-throat business world of capitalist pursuits.

His work mostly portrays lawyers. The title: “Crime free for a year” is an imaginary concept. An idealistic concept that can change many lives in the country, as everyone wants to live somewhere safe, although ‘safety’ can cover a whole range of variables. Some may prioritise civil freedoms, such as freedom of speech, whilst others consider no crime or low crime rates an accurate reflection of a country’s safety.

Artworks