Artist Focus: Buqaqawuli Thamani Nobakada

Anelisa Mangcu
Jul 29
1 min read

"I am really tired of everything surrounding African women being in the context of struggle. My work in the exhibition speaks to the conversation around Black women, unapologetically being.” – Nobakada (2022)

Johannesburg-based artist Buqaqawuli Thamani Nobakada (b. 2000) is a contemporary mixed media practitioner whose work centres the quiet power of Black femininity. Using prepared lace and acrylic paint, Nobakada creates poignant, textural portraits that celebrate women for simply existing, challenging the long, standing notion that women must always embody strength or resilience.

Lace becomes a central metaphor in her work, symbolising delicacy, beauty, and the layered complexity of her subjects. The canvas is built up with floral lace fabrics, forming multidimensional surfaces through which Nobakada explores the nuances of femininity. Her warm, intentional palette, pastel pinks, earthy browns, soft yellows, deep greens and blues, imbues her subjects with grace and regality.

The work in focus is from her 2025 solo exhibition (February-April) Sondela Nontombi - Because I’ve Seen Your Future And I Think You Should See It Too by at Under the Aegis.