Artist Database

Fikile Magadlela was a South African artist and member of the Black Consciousness movement led by Steve Biko. Born in 1952 in Newclare, Johannesburg, he began drawing at an early age and later pursued art full-time after leaving school in 1969. Largely self-taught, Magadlela honed his craft through mentorships with artists such as Harold Jeppe and Bill Ainslie. His works often blended surrealism with African mysticism and used mixed media to depict figures, flowers, and landscapes. Magadlela’s art, filled with political and spiritual themes, echoed resistance to apartheid. Despite facing political oppression, he gained recognition in the 1990s. His work is held in the collections of the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, the University of Fort Hare, and the University of the Witwatersrand.