Ukhona Mthethwa - Ongabonwa III

Linocut Embossing on Fabriano paper - 34 x 50 cm - Ukhona Mthethwa’s artistic practice is grounded in the exploration of Blackness as a complex and dynamic condition, intricately interwoven with themes of spirituality, migration, freedom, and liberation. Through painting—his primary medium—Mthethwa employs recurring metaphors such as the bag and the boat to articulate the spiritual and material dimensions of Black existence. These symbols serve as conceptual vessels through which he examines the historical and contemporary experiences of displacement, resilience, and survival within the African and diasporic contexts.

Mthethwa’s practice extends beyond the act of historical recovery; it constitutes an ongoing dialogue between the past and the present, while envisioning future possibilities for liberation and self-definition. His work positions Blackness not as a site of marginalization, but as one of transcendence, agency, and elevated consciousness. Through this lens, his paintings seek to reframe dominant visual and cultural narratives, affirming the dignity and subjectivity of Black identity.

Born in 2001 in Dannhauser, a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Mthethwa currently lives and works in Pretoria. He obtained an Advanced Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in 2024, majoring in painting, and is presently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine and Studio Arts.

Mthethwa’s visual language is characterized by a restrained, dark colour palette and a symbolic approach that reflects both individual introspection and collective memory. His work has been included in various local group exhibitions and emerging artist mentorship programmes, contributing to the evolving discourse on contemporary South African art and the visual representation of Black experience.