Kamogelo Masemola, Proletariate Chic, Repurposed Vintage Bag, 2025

Kamogelo Masemola discovered his passion for visual arts during primary school, where he attended afternoon classes and won several art competitions. Guided by mentors Paul Madi Phala, Michael Zikhali, and Buti Masike, he initially aimed for a career in industrial design but was drawn to unrestricted creativity and pursued studies at Fuba (School of Dramatic and Visual Arts). Masemola co-founded BLAQUEINQ Contemporaries (BIC), a movement in EastRand/Ekurhuleni that brings together professional and emerging artists across various disciplines. In 2015, Kamogelo moved to August House in Johannesburg to focus on his career as a full-time studio artist.

Pigeons are ubiquitous birds, found in cities worldwide—ordinary yet resilient. By painting them on a Gucci bag, I create a metaphor for the proletariat’s dream of luxury, a collision of the mundane and the opulent. This piece, which I call  The Proletariat Chic Bag, challenges the boundaries of class and accessibility, suggesting that even the ordinary can claim a place in the world of high fashion. It’s a celebration of quiet ambition—the idea that luxury isn’t just for the elite, but something that can be redefined, reclaimed, and even subverted by the everyday.