KENNETH BALE

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Come Stand in blue with me

Kenneth Bale Returns With Solo Exhibition Woven in Colour and Silence

BY KENEILWE RAMONNA

After three years away from the canvas, local artist Kenneth Bale is stepping back into the spotlight with "Blue Tapestry", a deeply personal solo exhibition that opens at Mokolodi Nature Reserve’s Tea Garden on May 30–31, 2026.

The show is as much about what was lived in the silence as it is about what now appears in colour.

“This is my return after three years of silence,” Bale says. “A deeply personal solo exhibition exploring colour, emotion and the quiet stories we carry within us.” Each painting is drawn from lived experience, grief, joy and the spaces in between.

The dominant hue is blue, but not for the reason most assume. “I work primarily in blues, not because it is sad, but because blue holds everything: depth, calm, freedom and longing all at once.” The result is an exhibition that invites visitors to slow down and sit with feeling. Attendees can expect an intimate, immersive evening of original paintings and honest storytelling through art. “I want every person who walks in to leave feeling something they cannot quite name, but needed.”

Blue Tapestry was born from stillness. For three years, Bale put down the brush and let life unfold, loss, love, change, and growth all happened away from the studio. When he returned, the work came out blue. “But blue is not one thing. It is a tapestry, layered, textured, woven from many threads of experience.” The title captures that complexity. “No single story lives here. It is many stories stitched together into one body of work.” At its core, the exhibition asks: what remains when everything else falls away, and how do we find beauty in that?

True to the title, this is a solo show. Bale is the sole visual artist, but he won’t be alone on the evening. The exhibition expands beyond paint through spoken word, with three poets joining the programme. “Gracing the stage are Goth Rose and Kethamile, two established voices in Botswana’s poetry landscape. Their presence alone signals the weight this evening carries.”

Alongside them is Keba, a rookie stepping into her first major performance. “Watch that name carefully. There is something rare in her.” Together, the three create a conversation between visual art and poetry. “Paint and poetry, sharing the same breath,” Bale says.

The artworks themselves explore texture and depth across acrylic, mixed media, and canvas. Visitors will encounter bold, expressive pieces alongside quieter, more intimate works. The collection spans different scales, from large statement canvases that demand attention to smaller works that reward a closer look. “Each piece plays with texture, layering and depth, reflecting the complexity of the themes.”

The venue reflects the exhibition’s tone. Held at Mokolodi Nature Reserve’s Tea Garden from 15:00 to 21:00, the setting brings an ecological backdrop to the personal narratives on display.

For Bale, this is not a walk-past exhibition. He will be present the entire evening, moving through the space and speaking directly with attendees about the work, what drove each piece, what it cost him, and what it gave back. “There will be no formal lecture. Instead, expect organic conversation, intimate, honest, unscripted.” The poetry performances by Goth Rose, Kethamile, and Keba will punctuate the evening as living, guided moments. “I want every attendee to leave knowing the story behind what they experienced, not just what they saw.”

The message is clear: permission to feel. “I want visitors to leave with permission, permission to feel, to pause, to sit with the uncomfortable and the beautiful simultaneously.” "Blue Tapestry" carries a quiet but firm statement. “Silence is not failure, that returning is possible, and that everything you have lived through is material for something magnificent. Your story is not over. Mine certainly was not.”

Access is open to all. Entrance is P70 for adults, with students and children entering free. “Art should never be a barrier for young minds. I want the next generation in that room, absorbing, questioning, feeling.” Groups are welcome, and Bale encourages people to come together. Reservations can be made through Elmarie on 74 446 568 or Kenneth on 71 718 733.

Nothing about the exhibition was left to chance. The artworks were selected because they carry truth. The poets were chosen with intention, Goth Rose and Kethamile for their mastery, Keba for her readiness. “I needed poets whose words could stand beside the paintings without either overpowering the other.”

The project is also built on partnership. Mokolodi Nature Reserve is hosting and sponsoring the event, adding an ecological layer to the narrative. Creative Confluence is supporting as a key creative sponsor. “This is community showing up for art. I am deeply grateful.”

Rebuilding after three years away has not been easy. “The biggest challenge has been time. Picking up the brush again after that silence felt like learning a language I once spoke fluently.” Funding and logistics added their own pressure. But the rewards have been tangible. “Watching it become real. Seeing Mokolodi say yes. Hearing Goth Rose, Kethamile and Keba agree to share the evening. Realising that the silence produced something worth returning for. That has made everything worth it.”

And this is only the beginning. Mokolodi is chapter one. "Blue Tapestry" will move to The Duck Café next, with plans to travel across Gaborone and beyond. “The vision is to expand not just the locations but the experience itself. More artists, more poets, perhaps live music woven in. A growing conversation rather than a single event.”

For Bale, conservation means longevity. “Art conservation is at the heart of this and conservation means longevity. Blue Tapestry is a living, breathing body of work. It deserves to be seen by as many eyes as possible.”