John Vusi Mfupi’s latest collage works continue his masterful storytelling through paper, this time turning his gaze toward themes of family, play, and tender moments of joy.
In this new series, he captures silhouettes of families and children playing in the water at sunset, a nostalgic tableau that feels both universal and deeply personal. His use of layered, hand-cut paper textures adds movement and rhythm to the compositions, echoing the rippling water and the fleetingness of golden-hour light.
The silhouetted forms allow for emotional resonance without the need for facial detail, every stance and gesture is carefully chosen to evoke intimacy, connection, and the carefree magic of late afternoon play.
Amidst these larger reflections on familial bonds and memory, Mfupi also offers a moment of sheer charm in his latest Yellow Duck collage. The work features a little boy in a bright raincoat gasping in uncontainable excitement at the sight of a duckling, a scene so heartwarming it borders on cinematic. The boy’s expression, frozen in paper yet full of life, captures the raw wonder of childhood and the simple, surprising joys that nature offers. It’s a celebration of innocence, curiosity, and the small moments that stay with us.
These new additions to Mfupi’s practice reaffirm his unique ability to balance playfulness with poignancy. Whether depicting the weight of familial connection or the lightness of spontaneous delight, his collages remain a love letter to human experience, cut, layered, and composed with thoughtfulness and soul.
