The Artist

OKAJ — Jako Pretorius

Mixed media paintings exploring the intersection of human experience and the fragility of psyche — the shadow corners, the suppressed, the inherited.

Jako Pretorius in studio

Biography

A practice of meaning-making.

Jako Pretorius (b. 1994, South Africa), known professionally as OKAJ, is a mixed media artist based on the West Coast. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Multimedia Arts from the University of South Africa (UNISA, 2025).

Before fully dedicating himself to art, OKAJ spent a decade in demanding manual labour roles. He began formal art studies in 2021, which confirmed what he had long suspected was his calling. The discipline, attention, and physical endurance of that earlier life remain visible in his practice — in the layered, worked surfaces of his canvases and in the patient willingness to keep returning to difficult subject matter. His paintings explore the inner architecture of the psyche — the shadow self, the suppressed memory, the acceptance of faith, and navigation of addiction, trauma and survival.

Artist Statement

My practice explores the intersection of human experience and the fragility of psyche — delving into the relationship between mind, body and soul, often focusing on the shadow aspects of the psyche. My new body of works heavily emphasises cubist-like shapes and fragmented elements, which speak to the colourful and rich diversity of one's psyche.

An inner realm greatly unexplored — unfamiliar in the most familiar ways.

We assume we know ourselves, yet there are parts of ourselves that we actively avoid — corners within our psyche that contain memories we don't want to remember, things we regret saying or doing, faces of people we once loved and lost.

The psyche, and your shadow self — the self that feels the weight of your suppressed memories and emotions — play active roles in our behaviour towards the world outside of us.

These artworks celebrate the psyche, and serve as commentary on my lived experience with faith, addiction, trauma, and victory.

Curriculum Vitæ

Exhibition history.

Education

Formal training.

  • 2025

    BA Visual Multimedia Arts

    University of South Africa (UNISA)

See the work.

Available Originals Virtual Gallery