Artist Database

Fathema is a mother, entrepreneur and as of 2021 a sculptor. Fathema started her artistic adventure late in life. This was due to the community and ideals in which she was raised. Art as a career was a non-existent option for an Indian female from a very conservative family, but that did not prevent Fathema from having an appreciation for that which she was prevented from pursuing.

It follows then that Fathema enrolled at the Technikon of the Witswatersrand on her parents’ instruction to either study dental technology or get married. She graduated in 1993, being the only female and person of colour in her class. However, it was a creative collaboration with the late Benon Lutaaya that proved to be life changing. Having been gifted an opportunity to work with Benon on a collage, Fathema found a kindred spirit.

For two years, within the intimate space of collaboration and seeing the world through the eyes of a fellow artist, her journey into a career in sculpting began to take shape. Having navigated systemic barriers to realising her dream and balancing the world of motherhood and business, the calling of a physical representation of her creative vision could no longer be ignored.