For his primary means of expression, mixed media paintings, Lerato Motaung draws inspiration from his memories informed by his life experiences in three different environments: the metropolitan area of Johannesburg where he lives and works, the suburban ambiance of Katlehong township, and the rural North West Province where he grew up.

Lerato Motaung trained in drawing at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2008, and in sculpture at the Katlehong Art Centre in 2009, he received his Diploma in Fine Arts in 2015 from the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria. In August 2020, Lerato Motaung won The Emergence Art Prize, organised by THK Gallery and supported by Rand Merchant Bank. In June and July 2021 he undertook a two month residency at the Quartier am Hafen on the banks of the Rhine in Cologne, Germany.