He Who Bears The Light, Johannesburg 2025

Photographer · Johannesburg, ZA

Where the
light is.

A quiet observer letting moments unfold — street, portrait and the overlooked corners of the spaces we exist in.

View Selected Work

— Featured Print

"Where The Light Is" · available for sale

01 — Selected Work

A collection
of fleeting things.

He Who Bears The Light, Johannesburg 2025
He Who Bears The LightJohannesburg · 2025
The Night They Became Silhouettes, Johannesburg 2025
The Night They Became SilhouettesJohannesburg · 2025
Hope, Johannesburg 2025
HopeJohannesburg · 2025
When Wonder Is Too Loud, Johannesburg 2025
When Wonder Is Too LoudJohannesburg · 2025
Concrete Concerto, Pretoria 2025
Concrete ConcertoPretoria · 2025
Layers of Expression, Johannesburg 2025
Layers of ExpressionJohannesburg · 2025
In The City, Johannesburg 2025
In The CityJohannesburg · 2025
Don't Stop The Arts, Johannesburg 2024
Don't Stop The ArtsJohannesburg · 2024
Portrait of Thato Setagane

02 — About

I don't chase moments.
I let them unfold.

I am a quiet observer by nature — a self-professed wallflower. That perspective shapes my photography: a search for honesty and unexpected beauty in the streets, in people, and in the overlooked corners of the bustling city of Johannesburg. The city is often described as a place of relentless motion, but in between the noise is where I stop time with the click of a shutter — rooting myself in the moment like a wildflower in the cracks of the pavement.

For me, the camera is a tool for preserving life that might otherwise wither away and never be seen again — a quiet act of recognition for the spaces and people that surround me. An invitation to slow down, take a deep breath, and remember that even in the busiest city there is beauty waiting to be witnessed.

Based

Johannesburg

Working in

ZA

Focus

Street · Portrait

Since

2024

03 — Exhibited

Arrival Gallery,
Fulham · London.

A group show at 56 Dawes Rd, SW6 7EJ — May 8th to 10th, 2026. Awarded a Certificate of Participation by the Arrival Gallery team.

Certificate of Participation awarded to Thato Setagane by Arrival Gallery, May 2026
Certificate of Participation · Arrival Gallery
Arrival Gallery — May 2026 Catalogue cover
Catalogue · May 2026
He Who Bears The Light — Arrival Gallery catalogue plate 01

Plate 01

He Who Bears The Light

The Night They Became Silhouettes — Arrival Gallery catalogue plate 02

Plate 02

The Night They Became Silhouettes

Don't Stop The Arts — Arrival Gallery catalogue plate 03

Plate 03

Don't Stop The Arts

05 — Past Exhibition

Painting with Light — solo exhibition invitation by Thato Setagane at Dibukafe, August 2025
Invitation · Dibukafe · August 2025

Painting
with light.

I had the privilege of presenting my work in a solo exhibition titled "Painting with Light" at Dibukafe from the 14th of August to the 15th of September. The show was well received, providing a valuable opportunity to share my documentation of spaces and culture in Johannesburg with the public and engage in meaningful exchange with the arts community.

Venue

Dibukafe

Location

Braamfontein

Format

Solo Show

Year

2025

04 — Get in touch

Let's make
something quiet.