Leon Botha is a an artist, musician and painter, from South Africa. He is the oldest living person wit Progeria. He was born on June 4th 1985, Cape Town, South Africa and continues to live there.
At the age of four, he was diagnosed with Progeria. He became a full time painter, right after Graduation, even though he had no formal training. He began doing commissioned works.
He went through a heart bypass surgery in 2005, to prevent heart attack due to
atherosclerosis, which is a main sign and consequence of Progeria.
Botha had his first solo art exhibition, entitled "Liquid Sword; I am HipHop", revolving around hip-hop culture as a lifestyle in January 2007, in Rust-en Vrede- gallery in Durbanville, opened by Mr Fat of the South African HipHop group, Brasse Vannie Kaap.
Botha's next solo exhibition featured pieces of the artist's life in March 2009. Botha was asked if the title "Liquid Swords; Slices of Lemon" referred to the adage "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Botha said no, adding, "Lemons? I slice 'em and serve 'em back!"
Botha is also engaged in deejaying and turntablism, under the name DJ Solarize. He featured in the music video "Enter the Ninja" from Die Antwoord alongside Watkin Tudor Jones, aka Ninja.
Leon Botha hosted the first exhibit of "Who Am I?...Transgressions",a photo collaboration with Gordon Clark, at the Joao Ferreira Gallery in Cape Town in January 2010. Botha said of the exhibition, "I am a spiritual being, the same as you, primarily. Then I'm a human being and this part of the human being is the body, which has a condition."
