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Installation View: Imfumbatho, Unit London, 2021. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Installation View: Imfumbatho, Unit London, 2021. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Installation View: Inzalo Ye Langa: Birthplace of the Sun, Unit London, 2023. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Installation View: Inzalo Ye Langa: Birthplace of the Sun, Unit London, 2023. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Installation View: Inzalo Ye Langa: Birthplace of the Sun, Unit London, 2023. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Installation View: Imfumbatho, Unit London, 2021. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Installation View: Imfumbatho, Unit London, 2021. Image courtesy of Unit London.
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Works
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Inzalo Yelanga
2023
184 x 136 x 4 cm
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Spirit Identity
2023
153 x 101 x 20 cm
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Saved Soul
2020
Sthenjwa Luthuli
“Izizwe” The Nations
2022
184 x 138 cm
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Reclaiming The Soul
2022
138 x 184 cm
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Indawo Yami
2021
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Higher Is Waiting
2022
184 x 138 cm
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Two in One
2020
Sthenjwa Luthuli
A Reflection Of Self
2022
184 x 138 cm
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Holding Future
2021
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Izandla Ziyagezana
2018
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Untold Stories
2020
Sthenjwa Luthuli
The Unknown Space
2020
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Positive Fear
2020
Sthenjwa Luthuli
Solidarity – Ubumbano
2020
Sthenjwa’s preferred medium is a 12mm MDF Super wood block that can be cut to different dimensions.
He then carves into this piece of wood using a chisel and mallet. The result is a hybrid art-object, a bare, wooden, sculptural canvas. Sthenjwa then paints this object, introducing his figures, each one deterministically shackled to a life with little opportunity. This process is deeply rooted in tradition: African sculpture has historically used wood, as well as other organic indigenous materials. This connection to the past is so crucial, as it is through education and learning from history, that societies and collective thought can progress. However, Sthenjwa takes this tradition and adapts it with a decidedly contemporary visual language, hoping to use his art to engage and offer hope to younger generations.
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Studio
Biography
Sthenjwa Luthuli, born in 1991 in Bothas Hill, KwaZulu-Natal, is a South African artist working primarily in carved wooden reliefs and woodcut prints. In 2011 he enrolled for the Velobala Saturday art classes hosted by the African art Centre at the Durban University of Technology. As a result of his dedication and commitment and overt talent he was selected to further take part in the Velobala mentorship program in 2012.
Recent solo exhibitions include:Inzalo Yelanga (BirthPlace Of The Sun), Unit, London, UK, Imbewu Yokhokho (The Seed of Our Ancestors), Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana (2022); Imfumbatho, Unit, London, UK (2021) and Umthente Uhlaba Usamila, BKhz Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa (2021). Selected group exhibitions include Metamorphosis: Reshaping Contemporary Art, Harn Museum of Art, Florida, USA; Africa Inspires, Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, Netherlands (2023); Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden, Netherlands (2023); 1-54 Art Fair, Unit, London, UK (2022); Liminality In Infinite Space, Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Nigeria (2021).
Luthuli’s works are included in the permanent collections of the The Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA; Kunsthal KAdE Museum, Amersfoort, Netherlands; Schulting Art Collection, Wassenaar, Netherlands; Fubon Art Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan; Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa; Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa; Phansi Museum, Durban, South Africa and University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Press
Artnet
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