MEET
Sthu Manaka
Mthuthuzeli (Sthu) Manaka is a self-taught contemporary abstract portrait painter based in Johannesburg, South Africa. His work has been showcased in notable venues such as Studio Nxumalo, Kalashnikov, Rust en Vrede Gallery, Youngblood CPT, The Turbine Art Fair, the FNB Art Fair, and the Capital Tshwane Art Fair. Internationally, he has exhibited with Van Der Plas Gallery in New York and M.A.D.S Gallery in Venice, Italy.
Sthu's art has made significant social contributions, including raising a million rands with Tastic Rice South Africa to support university students in South Africa. Additionally, he raised funds for children in Ethiopia with Amref Health Africa by participating in an ArtBall held in Brooklyn, New York, where his work was auctioned on Artsy.
His art explores his personal obsession with the spirit realm, the movement of the spirit, and the unpacking of masculinity. He delves into themes of love beyond color and gender, portraying the spirit as honest, raw, and faceless in its movement. Sthu's work invites viewers to engage with these profound concepts through his evocative abstract portraits.