Lerato Bereng an inspiration

KWAME MOABI

Ms Lerato Bereng is the Art Curator and co-owner of Stevenson Gallery. Having worked with many brilliant artists in the country, such as Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi and Simon Gush, and having sold art to some of the biggest names in music such as Rihanna, she earned herself an impressive CV.

   As a problem solver and director, Ms Bereng does a little bit of everything. From working closely with artists, forming partnerships with them, and fostering their careers as artists, she has learned to trust herself and be true to herself.

   Since her childhood in Lesotho, she knew that she wanted to follow a career that would involve art. As the youngest participant in the Cape Africa Platform’s Young Curators’ Programme, Ms Bereng faced many challenges such as being the youngest and being a foreign national.

   Other adversities she encountered include being overwhelmed by all the exposure and experiencing difficulty in finding her own voice in the sea of loud and established opinions. ‘Eventually, I realised that I am exactly who I am and that I should trust myself,’ she says.

   Despite all her accomplishments, Ms Bereng has managed to keep herself grounded with the support of her parents who inspire her.

   ‘The best part of my career is the fact that it allows me to do my job with passion – it is never boring. To be surrounded by incredible works of art and discovering the concepts and narratives behind them is a great privilege,’ she says. In order to meet all the incredible artists whom she works with regularly, she is required to jet off to a different destination every other week.

   Businesses suffered as a result of Covid-19 and hers was no exception. However, the unprecedented circumstances forced her industry to dive deep into the digital world to create new ways to share their art and passion for what they do, especially via different means of communication such as social media.