bio

Born and raised in South Africa, Thato Koto is a BA Fine student at the University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg. Her work is inspired by the languages, identities, history and heritages that existed in time and are around her. She strongly embodies being black and female. Her work is a reflection of all that. It draws and reciprocates. She believes in the untold stories that are waiting to be uncovered and heard, and that will become events on canvases or on camera. With her BA Fine Art degree, she has been welcomed by spaces in the film, television and theatre industry. She has taken the knowledge she acquired in her Fine Art degree and utilized that in film, television and theatre, in works that include production designing/creative designing/set designing, photography and performance. Her knowledge from the Fine Art field of the elements of art has birthed her understanding of mood of scene, character description and communicate theme of a story. She started off with television internships, onto production designing for film students in her university, then working outside her school space with other artists, aspiring to produce outstanding creatively directed scenes and shoots.

skills

Set Artist
Art Director
Cinematographer
Make-up
Photographer

education

2018-2021: BA Fine Art, Humanities University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg

experience

Production Designing Various university student short film productions -Executed designs that adhered to overall create vision and direction Portrait Commissions Self-Employed, Gauteng -Made use of materials, such as watercolors, charcoal, oil paint, computer software, pencils, pens and paints to complete unique and requested piece for customers Assistant Photographer Boipelo Khunou, Mpumalangu; short film titled Umseme Uyakuluma- Ndebele Superhero and Tsholofelo Maseko. Produced by Nomonde Mathenjwa Poet’s Book Illustrator Noluthando Dlamini and Itumeleng Makokoe -Gathering information from poems and content channels and used data to create and illustrate to support poet’s goal -Completed all paperwork, recognizing any discrepancies and addressing them in a timely fashion Cinematographer Various university theatrical plays, Johannesburg -Photographed high quality images for both print and internet distribution African Body Paint Artist Kamogelo Tinyiko, 2020 -Married artistic skills with customer suggestions to create unique designs Online Poetry Show -Developed team communications and information for meeting, 2020 Hostess At Keleketla Library, Event: Towards the ‘New Africa-France Summit’, 2021 Acting Isithembiso, 2019 -Extra actor on set DIPHUKA, Boipelo Khunou 2018 -Performer in short film Hoamoheloa, Directed by Karabo Mokoena, Pretty Mangena, Karabo Modise, Keamogetswe Mere 2020

Endorsements