Sungi Mlengeya’s paintings consist of dark figures in minimal shades of black and browns against perfectly white backgrounds. Her topics vary widely from self-discovery to empowerment, but common themes in her work are centred around women, specifically black women. Mlengeya sheds light on the stories of black women, herself included, and explores the journeys, struggles, accomplishments and relationships these women have with their immediate societies. She works primarily with acrylic on canvas, creating paintings that are free, minimalist and with a curious use of negative space.

Mlengeya is a self-taught painter who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and finance in 2013. In 2018, she left her job in banking to pursue a full-time art career. Since then her work has been exhibited at Cape town Art Fair (2020), Latitudes Art Fair (2019) and ‘Surfaces’ conceptual workshop and exhibition, Afriart Gallery, Kampala (2019), where she was mentored by Henry ‘Mzili’ Mujunga.