Lemé Arends is a Johannesburg-based, LGBQTIA+ multidisciplinary artist and cultural practitioner whose work maps the persistent weight of colonial structures within the South African landscape. A graduate of the University of Johannesburg (BA in Visual Art), Arends investigates how
systemic structures dictate the movement and “livingness” of racialised bodies. Their practice specifically centers the choreography of survival within queer racialised subjectivities, framing the queer body as a site of both historical erasure and radical endurance.
Their practice is rooted in a sensory engagement with the environment. Often collecting pigments and found materials from their surroundings, Arends allows geography and infrastructure to inform the composition of each work. These layered, textured
surfaces act as metaphors for the accumulation of personal and collective histories.
Following a 2025 residency at the 2Roads Foundation, Arends has deepened their application of Black Geographies and Queer Phenomenology to the archive, positioning the past as an active domestic presence.
Through a distinctively queer lens, their work serves as an accounting of the voids in the official archive, pursuing “livingness” where there was once erasure. Through this approach, the work becomes a
meditative intervention on land, memory, and the endurance of inherited narratives within racialised bodies in the landscape.
While pursuing a BEng Tech in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Johannesburg, Lesedi immersed himself in the city’s vibrant artistic community. This exposure profoundly shaped his creative vision, inspiring a unique blend of traditional and contemporary styles in his work.
Drawing inspiration from Johannesburg’s dynamic cultural diversity, Lesedi’s art reflects his personal experiences and observations, skilfully merging bold patterns with rich, innovative designs. His journey exemplifies the transformative impact of education and community in nurturing artistic talent. Lesedi continues to explore and share his evolving perspective, offering a fresh and compelling voice in contemporary South African art.
