Phumelele Tshabalala (b. 1984, Johannesburg, ZA) explores the depth and possibility of Black identity in his paintings using oil and acrylic paint, woodblock print, carving, and mixed media collage elements. Employing the body as a site of expression and resistance, Tshabalala’s figures serve as sites of discovery, celebration, and resilience within magical realist settings. His subjects are both known and imagined; they serve as monuments frozen in time that transcend (auto)biographical realities. Deeply personal narratives are woven into his paintings which blossom into universal themes of belonging and otherness.

Tshabalala had his debut solo exhibition at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK earlier this year. Tshabalala’s work has been included in group exhibitions at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles, US; Centre of the Arts Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, US; International Print Center, New York, US; Pjazza Kastilija, Valetta, MT; and Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, New York, US. Tshabalala received an MFA in Visual Art from SUNY Purchase College, New York, US and studied Fine and Applied Arts at Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, ZA, specializing in Printmaking and Painting.