Bemath considers the power of art to highlight the struggles that women endure, both overt and nuanced, that are in relation to normalised power dynamics of misogyny and (hetero)patriarchy
Fathema Bemath, born in 1971, spent the early years of her childhood around Diagonal Street, Johannesburg. The cosmopolitan landscape of Johannesburg town in the early 1970s piqued the curiosity of individuals with a deep appreciation for art. Fathema and her family relocated to Lenasia, a more insular society that considered art to be an indulgence, potentially subversive and anti-religious.
Since 1997 Bemath has owned and managed a successful dental laboratory. Through the years, Fathema’s love and appreciation for art was honoured by dabbling in pottery, interior design and drawing but never with the conviction it deserved. Rather it was a creative collaboration with the late Benon Lutaaya that sparked her career in sculpting.