THOKOZANI MTHIYANE
THOKOZANI MTHIYANE (b. 1969, Johannesburg, South Africa) is a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of The Enso Circle. After studying under painters Sfiso KaMkame and Thami Jali in Cleremont Township, Durban, Mthiyane developed a practice that spans painting, poetry, music, and dance. He gained early experience in children’s theater with Madcap’s Educational Theatre Company and has performed internationally, including translating French poetry into Zulu at Cave Poésie in Toulouse and touring with the Inzalo dance company in Holland. Mthiyane has exhibited widely, including The Interpretation of Poetry (Turbine Art Fair, 2023) and Soul Songs: The Shape of My Head (Art Eye Gallery, 2017). His work appears in major group shows across South Africa and New York and is part of collections such as the Art Bank Collection and Riboville Collection.
Thokozani Mthiyane Canto Reprised I, 2025 From The Canto Series oil and mixed media on canvas 55 x 59 in
Thokozani Mthiyane In Communion With The Spirit I, 2021 From The Mask Of The Ancestors Series oil and mixed media on canvas 62" x 55" in
Thokozani Mthiyane In Communion with Spirit II, 2021 from the mask of the ancestors series oil and mixed media on canvas 62" x 55" in
Thokozani Mthiyane In Communion With The Spirit III, 2021 From The Mask Of The Ancestors series oil and mixed media on canvas 62" x 55" in
Thokozani Mthiyane Masquerade Song Lines Reprised I, 2025 From The Masquerade Song Lines Series acrylics and mixed media on canvas. 74" x 57" in
Thokozani Mthiyane Shaman’s Recitation III, 2022 From The Shaman’s Recitation Series acrylics and mixed media on canvas 47" x 51" in
Thokozani Mthiyane Masquerade Song Lines C, 2022 From The Masquerade Song Lines Series oil and mixed media on canvas 55" x 59" in
Exhibitions
May 1 – June 7, 2025TANYA WEDDEMIRE GALLERY
INDUSTRY CITY
BLDG 2
254 36th Street | Suite C257
BROOKLYN NY, 11232A Journey Into Soul Songs
MTHIYANE’S practice delves into the ethereal where dreams, music, and memory intertwine. For the artist, his craft is a conduit for worship, deepening his spirituality and adding nuance and depth behind the works he produces. For the viewer, his work becomes a poetic meditation, pulling them into a realm where identity is fluid, and existence hints at a higher form of humanity. Through pieces like The Mask of The Ancestors and The Canto Series, Mthiyane’s canvases are portals dissolving the borders between time, space, and identity, Mthiyane’s artistic process is alchemical. He utilizes symbolism crafted from his perception of reality, each symbol adding a deeper meaning to the overarching message. Excavating through layers of abstraction, Mthiyane transforms memory, vulnerability, and change into a journey that nurtures the soul and examines the psychology of existence. His paintings stand as poetic testaments to humanity’s fragility, resilience, and the quiet power of every lived moment. This exhibition is a celebration of soul, transformation, and the profound poetics of existence.