Exhibited

THEFOURTH, Cape Town, Mazwana | Mkonto, 4 November to 19 December 2021.

Notes

"Yolanda Mazwana's visual style is deeply rooted in her abstraction of the human figure. Her characters, or “blobs,” as she affectionately describes them, inherit the legacy of humanity’s earliest artistic techniques. These “flaky blobs” are central to her practice—a playful yet profound exploration of the female form in its most abstract and emotive manifestations."¹

Underpinned by deep crimson tones, fiery scarlets, and vivid vermilions, Mazwana’s work is instantly recognisable. Her distinctive visual language, rooted in a raw abstraction of the human form, renders each piece an emotive statement. Her figures, or “blobs” as she affectionately terms them, evoke the intuitive mark-making of humanity’s earliest artistic expressions.

Mazwana’s “flaky blobs” are not merely stylistic; they are central to her exploration of the feminine experience in all its complexity. At once playful and unsettling, her forms navigate themes of discomfort, horror, joy, and power—capturing what words often cannot. Each canvas acts as a mirror to the ineffable, translating inner turmoil and triumph into vibrant, gestural compositions that command both emotional and visual attention.

¹Holly Beaton (2024) Kalashnikovv Gallery, The Self-Education of fine artist, Yolanda Mazwana, online, https://kalashnikovv.com/2024-yolanda-mazwana-cec,accessed 25 August 2025.