Mmangaliso Nzuza wants his paintings to give off the feeling of home.
One canvas in his Cape Town studio, As the Red-eyed Dove Sings (2025), takes its title from a bird whose song he remembers hearing as a child. “I wanted to almost capture that memory that it held for me,” he told us. “I want them to feel like what I feel when I think about home.”
His paintings, which primarily depict human figures, are built from bold, angular forms that nod to Cubism. Nzuza became interested in how Picasso, Braque, and other Cubists drew on African masks and sculptural traditions. “This has almost been a way of reclaiming that into my culture,” he reflected.
Held Voices, 2026
Mmangaliso Nzuza
Southern Guild
Assembly, 2026
Mmangaliso Nzuza
Southern Guild
During breaks from painting, he takes long walks, gathering impressions of his surroundings before returning to his studio in Woodstock, where Table Mountain rises in the distance. There, he prefers to dive straight into painting rather than plan his compositions. “Going straight onto the canvas allows my innermost emotions to flow,” he explained.
Nzuza’s rise has been swift. He began painting in earnest during the pandemic in 2020, when his mother bought him paints and encouraged his artistic inclinations. He started sharing his work on Instagram, and it quickly drew attention. He later connected with Southern Guild, which presented his first solo exhibition in Cape Town in 2024.
Hymn in Iridescence, 2025
Mmangaliso Nzuza
Southern Guild
In April 2026, his exhibition “Ballad of the Peacock” helped inaugurate the gallery’s new Tribeca space and marked his U.S. solo debut. His work has since appeared at Frieze London and The Armory Show and entered the collections of the North Dakota Museum of Art and the Montecito Contemporary Art Collection. He’ll also be featured at Art Basel Miami Beach in December.
We caught up with Nzuza in his studio, where he shared his work, process, and inspirations. “I would describe my work as something that invokes a feeling, a memory,” he said. “Most importantly, I want it to feel familiar.” Watch the video above and explore The Artsy Vanguard 2027.
Departure II, 2025
Mmangaliso Nzuza
Southern Guild
Video credits:
- Executive producer: Casey Lesser
- Creative director: Molly Gottschalk
- Director/DP: Lola Dollimore
- Editor: Jack Kuczala
- Designer: Douglas Escalante
About The Artsy Vanguard
Now in its ninth year, The Artsy Vanguard is our annual celebration of 10 of the most promising artists working today. Spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and more, the 2027 cohort brings together a new generation of artists making work that feels fresh, urgent, and distinctly their own. Through an original 10-part video series, we visit each artist in their studio and city, offering an intimate look at their creative processes, inspirations, and what it means to be an emerging artist today. Together, these are the talents shaping what’s next in contemporary art.
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