Zandile Tshabalala’s art is defined by confidence. The Soweto-born artist paints Black women with dignity, joy, posture and poise — but also softness, intimacy, and layered emotional depth.
ISSUE 5
In our latest, special edition digital issue of Reach For The Stars, we explore the ever- evolving intersections of creativity, identity, and motherhood. In this intimate conversation, artists Zandile Tshabalala, Cow Mash, and Teresa Kutala Firmino reflect on how becoming mothers reshaped their practices, their perceptions of time, and their personal boundaries. What begins as a discussion about life before children unfolds into a rich exchange about nesting, the power of female lineage, and the pressure of making a comeback in an art world that often fails to accommodate caregiving. Zandile Tshabalala's art is defined by confidence. The Soweto-born artist paints black women with dignity, joy, posture and poise - but also softness, intimacy, and layered emotional depth.
In a global art world that too often exoticises or misrepresents African identity, Tshabalala’s practice is a mélange of reclamation and reimagination, a new way of seeing. Her rise was swift but never rushed. Her visual language is rooted in texture, pattern, memory, and the celebration of Black femininity, all speaking to something both personal and universal: a longing to be seen in full colour, on one’s own terms.
Reach for the stars poster series
For a limited time only ‘Reach for the Stars’ posters are available to purchase at The Manor, 44 Stanley, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg and online.
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ISSUE 4
This season, The Manor is celebrating six formidable forces in partnership with Nike. Inspiring, energised and undeniably unique, these women give us a view into how the scene and society are being transformed through their individual outlook, and everyday looks.
Frontrunners are those who set the pace. Those who show up in unapologetic ways and stamp the world with their signature ideas and style. To be a frontrunner, you need to be a formidable force, someone whose impact is undeniable and growing.
This year, we celebrate six trailblazers in partnership with Nike. Inspiring, energised and undeniably unique, these women give us a view into how the scene and society are being transformed through their individual outlook and everyday looks...
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Powerd by
They are the frontrunners of creativity, collaboration and change. This issue celebrates 6 frontrunners in partnership with Nike; Shandesh, Shamiso Mosaka, Keneilwe Mothoa, Prudence Sekgodiso, Yaone Refentse and Buqaqawuli Nobakada.
