Ofentse (Tshepang) Links (b. Johannesburg, South Africa) Sange, 2025 Watercolour on Paper

Johannesburg-born artist Ofentse (Tshepang) Links is a portraitist whose work interrogates themes of identity, intersectionality, and belonging, with a focus on blackness and queerness. A graduate of the National School of the Arts (2019) and later Rhodes University, Links’ early promise was recognised as runner-up in the GTC Portrait Awards during his school years.

His works have since been featured in major platforms, including Truth and Lies at the 2022 National Arts Festival Fringe Exhibition, which questioned the nature of freedom in South Africa. In 2023, his series Ke u khethile explored the bonds of chosen family, followed by Ke u fumane, which examined queer male journeys into femininity. Alongside his own practice, Links has contributed to the South African art landscape as a gallery assistant to Christine Dixie and Stephanie Conradie (Standard Bank Young Artist), and as curator of Inward Bound at Carinus Art Centre in 2024.

Rooted in sensitivity and social commentary, Links’ work blends technical precision with intimate storytelling.