Photo of artist Zandile Tshabalala in her studio.
OVERVIEW
Zandile Tshabalala (b. 1999, South Africa) is a Soweto born fine art painter who graduated with a BA(FINA) degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2022. In her work, she uses acrylic to depict narratives around the inclusion of black women within the art canon and was primarily influenced by the lack of or displacement of black women within nineteenth century Western art.
In the essay for the group exhibition “Tales by Women”, curator Bansoa Sigam writes that Tshabalala’s work which focuses on black women figuration, celebrating their existence in a state of rest, “sheds light on mundane home activities going somewhat countercurrent to the expectations placed on black women given the intersectional burdens they face.” Sigam adds that “Resting is in her art a form of resistance, the depiction of what she calls a dreamscape that remains often unattainable for many due to societal pressures and the undervaluation of black women’s labor.”
Tshabalala's practice provides an intimate lens into the lived experience of inhabiting a woman's body and navigating the intricacies of life and thought from this perspective. At its core, her work aspires to grapple with the multifaceted reality of being a black woman. Beyond using trauma as a mere starting point, Tshabalala weaves a tapestry that draws upon history, imagination, joy, love, theory, and the temporal context in which this existence unfolds. Her artistic exploration transcends the singular narrative of hardship, embracing a holistic approach that encompasses the richness and complexity of the black female experience.
Over the past years, Tshabalala’s work has been exhibited worldwide, notably in the Zeitz MOCAA’s “When We See US” where one of her paintings was selected by chief curator Koyo Kouoh as the official visual, at Art Basel or more recently in “The Sound Of Our Souls” at UTA Artists Space in Los Angeles.