Ayanda Mabulu born in King William’s Town (1981) in a township called Zwelitsha, is a self taught artist whose work focuses on social upheavals and matters affecting the politics of the black body.

Inspired by people, music, and the beat of the drum, sounds of jazz trumpet, saxophone and hip-hop culture along its politics. Mabulu tackles issues of inequality and its experiences in contemporary society especially those that set the black body as a turf where violence occurs. Mabulu’s work through use of satirical imagery depicts and juxtaposes powerful leaders, masters and mistresses with defenseless victims of greed, oppression, poverty, and systematic racism. Discourse of power, culture and identity arranged in narrative sequences that further exaggerate the already grotesque history of exploitation and its inheritance plays itself in the work. Mabulu is an internationally recognized artist – whilst exhibiting in mental museums and galleries around the world, Mabulu’s thought provoking and critically acclaimed works are often covered by the New York Times, BBC and Al Jazeera to name a few. Mabulu’s work is highly collected internationally by influential museums, galleries, diplomats, businesspeople and moguls alike, celebrities and members of civil society.

“I don’t think that there can ever be another way; does a hunter, face the beast without disturbing and confronting it with a dagger, more especially when the beast attacks. There can never be any other solution but to stand toe to toe with the beast, unless you want the situation to change to where the hunter becomes the hunted.  In this case how can an artist find a ‘polite and subtle’ way to address and depict social issues of our time were the human condition is deteriorating because of the style of politics inflicted by those in power that leave them starving and desperate so they can easily controlled ” – A. Mabulu