Artist Database

Nontsikelelo Veleko, born in Bodibe, South Africa in 1977, is a photographer trained at the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg. Her acclaimed series, Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder, uses fashion photography to challenge stereotypes and explore cultural identity in post-apartheid South Africa. Building on the legacy of David Goldblatt’s Market Photo Workshop, Veleko captures the vibrancy and diversity of South Africa’s youth. In 2008, she won the Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art award for her travelling exhibition Wonderland. Veleko’s photographs are featured in exhibitions across Europe, Africa, and Asia and are in prominent collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and the Walther Collection in Germany.