Buqaqawuli Nobakada, (2000)

Buqaqawuli is a contemporary mixed-media artist with a Fine Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. Through her use of acrylic paint and lace, she depicts Black women in soft, intimate moments, centering hyper-femininity as a space of power and self-determination. Her work reaffirms that Black women not only belong in spaces of grandeur but are also the architects of their futures. Paying homage to contemporary Black women’s craftsmanship and aesthetic performances, Nobakada’s art is an affirmation of the beauty and gentleness with which she sees herself whilst simultaneously teaching the world how to see her, and anyone else who sees any part of themselves reflected as they engage with her work.

Her most recent exhibitions include ‘Sondela Nontombi - Because I Have Seen Your Future and I Think You Should See It Too', Undertheaegis, Capetown, South Africa, 2025, 1-54 Contemporary Fair, London, United Kingdom, 2024, ‘I Am & Nothing Else’ at Affinity Gallery, Lagos, 2023, FNB Art Joburg, Johannesburg and SOMA, France. She holds the 2023 Latitudes Audience Choice ANNA Award.