“My work aims to capture the vitality of our human lives, as South Africans, but also as people.”
Thembinkosi Sinalo Ntuli was born in 1977 in Stanger, Groutville, KZN. As a boarding student at Boschkloof Intermediate School, he met Mlungisi Mfeka, who inspired and fuelled Ntuli’s love for art. In 1992 he attended Estcourt High School and studied art before leaving in grade 11 due to an accident. He attained an N2 Certificate in Fine Arts in 1997 at Durban Central College. He then moved to Johannesburg in 1999 to further his studies at Dobsonville College where he attained a N3 Certificate in Fine Arts. Sinalo did Printmaking at Artist Proof Studio and attended Funda Centre College where he graduated with a Diploma in Fine and Visual Arts in 2003.
Ntuli initially worked with oil paint, depicting South African people, however, during his residency at The Bat Centre in 2003, his theme changed after noticing that artists in KZN focused their works on their surrounding rural life. This inspired him to paint the Reed Dance maidens, whose cultural values appealed to him and led to his application of beadwork to the pieces.
Ntuli’s work delves deep into the symbolism of colour, drawing on the artist’s personal experiences, background and immediate surroundings to capture unique perspectives on the people and culture that comprise his world. In his Yellow series, Sinalo works with themes of hope and second chances, a concept that resonates deeply with Ntuli.
Sinalo speaks fondly of his growth as an artist and how he has been able to reinvent himself through art, and hone his craft into the unique blend of canvas and beadwork that is his artistic signature. The yellow series captures the innocence of childhood and how possibilities are endless during that period, standing as a representation of the importance of dreams and aspirations.
Ntuli won the Thami Mnyele Art Competition in 2013. He co-curated the Ubuhle Bobuntu Group exhibition at the Africa Museum as has also participated in a number of group exhibitions, as well as various solo shows. He has been representing the SADC Region in the World Art Games since 2021.
