WonderBuhle Mbambo, Bravery in Silhouette I, 2025, acrylic and metallic gold on canvas, 190 × 140 cm
WonderBuhle Mbambo
Mbambo’s portraits depict spiritually charged visions of Black bodies in restful, contemplative poses. Working primarily in charcoal and acrylic, he sets his figures against flat planes of color, overlaid with his signature gold flower-shaped motif. This recurring symbol references a native flower used in ancestral practices in his rural village — a poetic marker of memory, identity, and his enduring connection to community.
His practice operates as a space between the inner soul, dreams, and lived identity. Through it, Mbambo expresses his perspective as a young Black artist in South Africa, engaging with a broader national moment of self-realization — one that embraces cultural diversity and reimagines inherited narratives through the eyes of a curious, questioning generation.
A: In my view, the way the world system is structured, especially through politics and governmental institutions, is at the core of these unspoken codes. Constitutional codes become a blueprint for what a society should follow or for what citizens should embrace or reject as a country contributing to the wider world. These constitutional laws can either instill pride in citizens or take away what they take pride in.
It is also interesting to see how people evolve within these systems, while the systems themselves rarely evolve with the people, leading to many social disputes. This is simply because those who create the systems often forget that they are there to serve the people, not the other way around. If people ask for change, their voices should be heard and acted upon accordingly.
Q: How does your practice, or this particular work, engage with or respond to these codes?
A: My practice engages deeply with these codes, as my work champions human experience and the ways humans evolve with culture within their designated systems. The piece I am submitting illustrates this well: it highlights a theory of “evidential continuity” through a portrait of a young person evolving from a sculpture into a living human — or perhaps the other way around. It is based on the concept of continuity and the changes that occur within the process of continuation.
Q: How do you navigate the balance between individuality and collective life — finding and standing by your own voice while also being connected to and supported by others?
A: For me, it is the idea of knowing where I come from and understanding my role in society that helps me navigate the system more effectively. Collectively, it is the realization that I am not the only one conscious of current human conditions — whether their ills or their progress — but that other creatives and voices are also producing amazing work, contributing to the archive while raising awareness by documenting these times.
Q: What has your path as an artist revealed to you about resilience, belonging, or empowerment in your own life?
A: My path as an artist has revealed that I truly belong to this journey, especially looking at how people are responding to my work and the subjects that I present. It's really fulfilling and it makes the journey more inspiring for me, which I also share with others.
Q: Can you share what guided your choice of the work included in Unspoken Codes, and what you hope it might evoke for viewers?
A: The work I am submitting fits this theme perfectly, as I was personally reflecting on transformation while learning to accept change in my own journey. This piece is a portrait of my eldest daughter, who is leaving primary school this year for high school and stepping fully into her teenage years. The changes in her — her body, her language, society’s views, her choices, and how she perceives the current system — mark the beginning of an entirely new chapter of her life. I am deeply interested in what she will become, knowing how intelligent she is and how willing she is to contribute to a progressive society.