Thinking, feeling and making with multidisciplinary artist, Lumkile Mzayiya.
- mbusimzolo
- Feb 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 16
Lumkile Mzayiya (b. 1989) is a Durban based multidisciplinary artist specialising in painting and performance art from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. His art making journey has been punctuated by notable achievements, including being awarded the Ernest Mancoba Prize and the Don’t Panic Award in the same year (2011).
Lumkile has had his work shown at KwaZulu-Natal’s premier art institutions, namely: the KZNSA Gallery, Durban Art Gallery and BAT Centre. In 2024 Mzayiya was the recipient of the KZNSA Merit Award for a piece created as a response to the KZNSA Annual Members’ Award theme: a visual prose.
Lumkile’s work generally explores themes of resilience, courage and healing.
These themes along with other complementary ideas constitute the basis upon which his most recent collection, Umsebenzi, is built. Umsebenzi is composed of paintings with an accompanying performance piece – the paintings are currently on show at Hue Café, Durban until the Monday 17 February, 2025.
To draw you deeper into his psyche, Lumkile has made a multi-genre 16 song playlist
composed of songs that revitalise him and make it possible for him to fulfil his duty of being a conduit for messages emanating from a higher source.
ArtxConversations (AxC): What does art mean to you?
Lumkile Mzayiya (LM): Art is a way of being (freedom) or a way of life, bringing the unseen or non-existent to life. Apart from the fact that everything that surrounds us is a form of art, art to me is a language; a powerful and liberating tool to address or express emotions and injustices of the past and present.
AxC: What ideas or subjects do you seek to communicate through your practice?
LM: I am interested in the past, the history of our forefathers (Africans) and the lasting impact of the past injustices as a result of the West’s pursuit for “civilisation”. My aim is not to dwell on the past but to draw from it, fostering courage, resilience, and suggesting pathways for healing. Parts of my work address gender-based violence (GBV) while advocating for equity and openness.
AxC: When you go through periods of darkness what gives you hope to keep living and making art?
LM: Starting my day at the gym plays a significant role in shaping how I approach my plans for the day. Last year, I adopted a new habit, assuming 2024 was the darkest year of my life. I began listening to worship music all the time, even at the gym. It felt like a form of meditation, and I found myself surrendering to a higher power. This practice became a personal ritual I repeated every day. Umsebenzi, the current exhibition currently showing at Hue Café is a result of the personal ritual.
AxC: How do you plan on making a valuable, long-lasting impact through your work?
LM: I believe I’ve begun the process of research and investigation; searching for a voice or style that reflects our rich history while also embracing the promising layers of the present, and of the future. Above all, I want to be playful, as that attitude will always resonate deeply with art lovers or people in general.
AxC: How do you decide what mediums are compatible with the stories you want you want to tell?
LM: I feel compelled to paint, it is a love and hate kind of relationship. There are days when I feel insanely frustrated by the medium. However, I enjoy its convenience, it’s affordable to create with and can be done in cramped spaces. Performance art came as an escape and I enjoy the interplay between the two. Both styles feed into each other; sometimes I create a painting inspired by a performance piece, and other times I create a performance piece based on a painting.
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Instagram: @lumkilemzayiya
Umsebenzi + Hue Café
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Follow us on Instagram: @artxconversations
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