Catherine Ocholla

Catherine Ocholla is an oil painter based in Cape Town, specialising in skyscapes and landscapes. "My hope is that there is an emotional connection, that in turn makes people ‘think’ the next time they look up. We mostly pay attention when the sky is putting on a show – spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Yet it is omnipresent, and we are completely dependent on it for our survival." "My current work is centred around the Anthropocene epoch – we, human beings, have become the driving force, the change makers in nature. Other terms are the Capitalocene, where capitalism is the entity that is shaping nature, and Plasticene, the effects of plastic in shaping our natural environment" "I am an African voice that indulges in speculative fiction, and in adding narratives and conversations to the Anthropocene debate where I feel we are underrepresented. I hope more will participate—in reflection and/or in action—in trying to not let those speculative future catastrophic events that we are so familiar with, become our present."