Terence Maluleke

Born in Soweto in 1995, Terence Maluleke is a Johannesburg-based painter whose oeuvre springs from a deep engagement with and love for his township community. Self-taught, Maluleke works in a predominantly figurative mode with a strong orientation towards allegorical storytelling using graphic line, geometric shape, flattened perspective and pattern. His stylised portraits, urban scenes and vivid still-life compositions explore the complex intricacies of the modern urban Black experience on the African continent.

Maluleke grew up in an artistic family with a grandfather and uncle who were also painters. Under his uncle’s informal tutelage, he began to explore various artistic styles, experiment with colour and synthesise influences. As a result, he has developed a unique artistic language combining emerging art technologies, traditional tools and methods, and graphic comic formats.

Working from his studio in August House in Johannesburg’s inner city, Maluleke is embedded in the city’s dynamic artistic community and Black creative vanguard. His artistic approach transcends the constraints of individualistic portraiture by delving into a more comprehensive examination of pan-African identities. This enables him to depict the multitude and diversity of experiences that exist within the spectrum of Blackness.

In addition to his artistic endeavours, Maluleke has extensive experience as a visual developer, having worked on productions for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix and Triggerfish. He is also the co-founder of Kasi Sketchbook, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to facilitate mentored drawing clubs among Johannesburg township children and young adults.

His 2023 exhibition, Grace in Grand Bassam, at Southern Guild – his first solo – celebrated the communal life and culture he encountered during a month-long residency at La Fourchette de Rōze near Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Maluleke has also participated in the Schütz Art Museum Residency in Engelhartszell, Austria, and exhibited in group exhibitions at Kalashnikovv Gallery and Bkhz in Johannesburg, Gallery Affinity in Lagos, and 200CENT with FEDE in Barcelona. His works have been shown at Expo Chicago, Aspen Art Fair, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, RMB Latitudes Art Fair and Investec Cape Town Art Fair, where Southern Guild presented a solo booth as part of the Generations section.