Qhamanande Maswana

Qhamanande Maswana (b. 1991) is a contemporary South African painter. Maswana has developed a unique style of portraiture that speaks to both the beauty and challenges of everyday life in South Africa. Effortlessly blending reality with imagination in each portrait, he often depicts the people he encounters in his day-to-day life in surreal purple hues as a way of portraying ‘the strength of [his] people and their descendancy from royalty’.

Qhamanande Maswana (b. 1991) is a visual artist currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Maswana grew up in King William's Town, a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Creative from an early age, Maswana was inspired to pursue a career in the arts whilst he was a student at Forbes Grant High School. After finishing high school, he competed in various art competitions held in the Eastern Cape, then went on to study Fine Arts at Lovedale College and graduated with a National Diploma in Fine Arts from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. Maswana has developed a unique style of portraiture that speaks to both the beauty and challenges of everyday life in South Africa. Effortlessly blending reality with imagination in each portrait, he often depicts the people he encounters in his day-to-day life in surreal purple hues as a way of portraying “the strength of people and their descendancy from royalty”. Maswana's inspiration for his recent bodies of work largely comes from everyday life and the people around him, his friends, family, and acquaintance,s focusing his work on themes of identity, family relationships and cultural integratio,n touching on subjects of consumption, spiritualit,y and the relationship between humans and plants. “Each portrait is an adventure, exploring the unique character and personal strengths of the people painted. It's not about how they look, it's about who they are." Maswana views his work as a way of touching souls visually, ‘’I hope to entice the viewer to take a closer look at my art, to see and feel the beauty and stories of the people I paint as I see them. I love it when a painting speaks to a viewer, and they form a personal connection to it. Ultimately, I hope my paintings create a pause for the viewer to connect with their own soul and reflect on the mysteries of life”. Maswana’s first collaboration with the David Krut Workshop (DKW) happened in 2025. He worked with DKW printer Roxy Kaczmarek on a series of vibrant watercolour monotypes. His work was shown at the Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair in March 2025.

Qhamanande Maswana: colourful plains