Mbali Tshabalala, Ekuqaleni (i), Linocut on Archival Paper, Edition 1 of 1

Mbali Tshabalala (b. East London, South Africa) is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and creative entrepreneur whose practice spans collage, painting, printmaking, drawing, and photography. A graduate of the Tshwane University of Technology with further training in printmaking at Artist Proof Studio, Tshabalala transitioned from a career in curatorial practice—including roles at Zeitz MOCAA and The Joburg Fringe—into full-time artistic production in 2019. She is the founder of Collective UNTITLD and Anecdotes Gallery, initiatives that support artists and expand platforms for creative exchange. Her work is represented in major collections such as Rand Merchant Bank, JP Morgan Chase, William Humphreys Art Gallery, Art Bank South Africa, and the Spier Art Trust, and has been exhibited widely at institutions including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Constitution Hill, and Pretoria Art Association, as well as at international art fairs and auctions.

My practice explores the layered experiences of Black women through collage, painting, printmaking, drawing, and photography. Rooted in personal identity and lived experience, my work interrogates narratives around mental health, femininity, and African spirituality within the context of a post-colonial African city.

By weaving together ancient African knowledge systems and contemporary realities, I critique the collision of indigenous culture with Eurocentric urban landscapes and reflect on how this dissonance shapes both identity and mental health. Each work becomes a form of storytelling—a way to honour memory, challenge erasure, and create space for voices often pushed to the margins.