Sthenjwa Luthuli
B.1991 Based in Durban, South Africa
Introduction
The intricate and complex nature of Sthenjwa Luthuli’s artistic process ensures that each work he produces is a remarkable and singular result of a formidable artistic effort. Each work is meticulously hand carved and then painted; his pieces can take months to create. Luthuli has remarked on the importance of the circular shape in his works. For Luthuli, the circle opposes the starkness of the square, which is frequently used in modern architecture. Luthuli’s use of the circle opposes any severity of form as his works undulate before the viewer in boundless and gentle movement. Luthuli’s works frequently involve the notion of ancestral identity; his headless forms are tied to his Zulu culture and rituals.
Education
2012 Themba Shibase’s Mentorship Programme, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa
2011 Velobala Art School, African Art Centre, Durban, South Africa
2010 Artists In-Action Residency, Visual Arts Course, BAT Centre, Durban, South Africa
Solo Exhibitions
2023
Inzalo Yelanga (Birthplace Of The Sun), Unit, London, UK
2022
Imbewu Yokhokho (The Seed of Our Ancestors), Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana
2021
Imfumbatho, Unit, London, UK
Umthente Uhlaba Usamila, BKhz Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
2020
Inkaba Yami, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town, South Africa
Group Exhibitions
2023
Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden, Netherlands
Africa Inspires, Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, Netherlands
2022
1-54 Art Fair, Unit, London, UK
2021
Untitled Art Fair, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Miami, Florida, USA
2020
Liminality In Infinite Space, Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Nigeria
African Artists Foundation, Victoria Island, Nigeria
BLACK VOICES: Friend of My Mind, Ross-Sutton Gallery, New York, USA
The Medium Is The Message, Unit London, UK
2017
Sasol New Signatures, Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa
Ukushintsha Isigcawu, Woordfees Festival, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Members Exhibition, KZNSA Gallery, Durban, South Africa
2016
Johannesburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa
2015
New Printmakers, SA Print Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Emerging, Design Indaba Simulcast, Cape Town, South Africa
Izimpande, KZNSA Gallery, Durban, South Africa
Expo Durban, Durban, South Africa
Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa
Hilton Group Exhibition, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Johannesburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, South Africa
Turbine Art Fair, Sandton, South Africa
2014
National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa
2013
Business of Art, Beautiful Things Gallery, Eshowe, South Africa
African Art Centre, Durban, South Africa
2012
Velobala Mentorship Exhibition, African Art Centre, Durban, South Africa
2011
Who am I, Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
Velobala Class, African Art Centre, Durban, South Africa
Don’t Panic, Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
2010
Izikhwephe zethu, Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
Selected Press
2022
October ‘The Best Booths at 1-54, From an Indigo Bed to a Wall of Crosses’, ARTnews
2020
December ‘Artists We Love: Sthenjwa Luthuli’, Visi
‘Finding Home in an ‘Unknown Place’, Maverick Life
November ‘Sthenjwa Luthuli: Inkaba Yami’, Contemporary And
‘Sthenjwa Luthuli: Inkaba Yami’, Mail & Guardian
‘We Have Lost a Limb’: Azu Nwagbogu, the Visionary Curator Bringing African Art Home’, The Guardian
October ‘Sthenjwa Luthuli’, Elephant
September ‘Emerging Artists Explore Blackness at Unit London’, Widewalls
2019
November ‘Sthenjwa Luthuli – Tackling Tradition with a Carving Knife’, Tame Until
September ‘Latitudes Art Fair’, House & Garden
2017
April ‘Centre Kick Starts Artist’s Career’, news24
‘Telling stories with silhouettes’, The North Coast Courier
2015
August ‘Edition 4’, Ja. Magazine
Selected Collections
Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA
Kunsthal KAdE Museum, Amersfoort, Netherlands
Schulting Art Collection, Wassenaar, Netherlands
Fubon Art Foundation, Taiwan
Robyns Collection, London, UK
Gatreaux Collection, Kansas City, USA
Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa
Leiterin der Städtischen Galerie, Bremen, Germany
Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa
University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Phansi Museum, Durban, South Africa