Ayanda Mabulu
Born 1981 in King William’s Town, South Africa
Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa
Ayanda Mabulu is a self-taught artist whose work focuses on social upheavals and matters affecting the politics of the Black body. Mabulu is best known for using hyper realistic imagery in his paintings and sculptures to depict and juxtapose powerful leaders, masters, and mistresses with defenceless victims of greed, oppression, poverty, and systematic racism. The discourse of power, culture, and identity are all arranged in narrative sequences that further exaggerate the brutal history of exploitation in South Africa. The stories at play in Mabulu’s paintings are often derived from African folklore, specifically Xhosa fables. His work is featured in the permanent collection of art institutions, museums, and numerous public and corporate collections.
Ayanda Mabulu, Ikhakhayi Lika Hintsa, 2022, Oil and spray paint with gold leaf on canvas, 155 x 127cm.Courtesy of Kalashnikovv Gallery.

Artists 2022