TF Monochrome, 2020. Spraypaint on canvas. 150x97cm. R55 120

Monochrome spraypaint composition on canvas exploring the abstraction of graffiti lettering through geometric form.

TF Monochrome distills the visual language of graffiti into a restrained, monochromatic composition. Created using spraypaint on canvas, the work abstracts the traditional graffiti tag—removing colour and expressive flair to foreground form, structure, and spatial rhythm.

The title references a process of deconstruction, where the letters “T” and “F” are stripped of their legibility and reconfigured into layered geometries. This reduction highlights the architectural quality of graffiti lettering, revealing its potential as a visual system beyond language. TF is a scamtho expression for a joint made from a telephone book page rooted in the Afrikaans word ‘telefoon’.

By working in monochrome, Sandile Radebe focuses attention on line, balance, and movement, inviting viewers to read the work not as text, but as spatial code. TF Monochrome is part of the artist’s ongoing investigation into the intersections between writing, scamtho, abstraction, and the politics of spatial claim.

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