There is a certain mystique attached to artists who draw inspiration from pain. It places them in a different realm—allowing them to tap into a deeper creative source and forge an intimate connection with those who experience their work. This holds true for Kimathi Mafafo, the South African multidisciplinary artist whose medium of choice is embroidery-infused painting. With a career spanning over a decade, she has cultivated a practice that blends personal history, textile traditions, and an exploration of feminine identity.
The Painter’s First Tale
Born and raised in Kimberly, the capital of Northern Cape Province, Mafafo’s childhood was steeped in creativity. Her father, a visual artist, maintained a studio in their home, where she spent countless hours observing his work across multiple mediums and techniques. It was in this environment that her artistic journey began.
At 19, she left home to study Fine Art at the College of Cape Town. Before fully committing to painting, she took on roles in the fashion and film industries. However, this path proved to be misaligned with her true calling. A moment of reckoning arrived when she lost everything. “A voice just came to my mind: ‘Drop everything. You’re an artist. Just focus on telling your story through painting,” she told Guzangs. “And it was hard to bear because I had been doing something I wasn’t supposed to do.”
Succumbing to the Voices in Her Head
Mafafo officially embarked on her art career at 27, using painting as a means of reconciling the dreams of her younger self with the ambitions of her college years. Her breakthrough came in 2014 with a group exhibition at World Art Gallery in Cape Town. Just as she was on the cusp of her debut solo show, her world crumbled again—forcing her to step back and question her practice.
“I kept telling myself, ‘I’m a painter,” she recalled. “I had to focus on this purpose because I used to do film, wardrobe, and even my own clothing and all that.”
Determined to regain her footing, she relocated to Stellenbosch, where she immersed herself in her work and found clarity through isolation. “I had to concentrate—staying in my studio, working in solace to find my voice. I was selfish about my time, and it caused me to lose friendships and even the father of my child. It came with a lot of sacrifice for me to be where I am, just to focus and get this right. I didn’t need a limitation.”
Embroidering and Painting Women in Her Art
While textiles play a significant role in her work, Mafafo does not consider herself a textile designer but rather a fine artist. She learned embroidery from a Ghanaian tailor specializing in machine techniques, a skill she now seamlessly integrates into her paintings to create empowering depictions of womanhood.
“I paint mostly figurative works. I tell stories with feminine figures. I like to concentrate on brown skin. I like to embrace that,” she explained. “So if you look at my works and see the female brown-skinned body, you’ll notice different layers of threads used there. That knowledge comes from combining machine embroidery with my painting expertise.”
More than ever, she serves as her own muse. Many of her portraits stem from personal experiences, and at times, her work becomes an escape from her realities as a woman and mother. Her philosophy is deeply rooted in healing—her art is not just about storytelling but also about inspiring and empowering other women while offering men a deeper understanding of feminine experiences.
Seizing the Day: Finding the Deepest Feminine Connection
Mafafo’s debut solo exhibition in the United States, Seizing the Day, recently opened at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery. The works reflect on past struggles and the process of navigating them in the present. For Mafafo, the exhibition represents an exploration of her innermost femininity as a source of peace and renewal.
“I find that I’m going back to nature as a woman because we, as women, bring life and nurture. So most of the works in this exhibition are abstract. With that, I seek to see nature and the environment without humans playing a role in it,” she shared.
Despite their ethereal quality, the works in Seizing the Day are undeniably bold. Mafafo layers floral-inspired hues, embedding deep narratives within the embroidered details. A portrait of sisters wrapped in velvet, surrounded by blooming flowers, symbolizes womanhood and the embrace of nature. A mother braiding her child’s hair echoes Mafafo’s connection to her own daughter. And a woman wrapped in a floral sheet signifies a full surrender to her deepest feminine self. Each piece carries an emotional weight, woven through every thread and brushstroke.
With Seizing the Day, Kimathi Mafafo solidifies her voice as an artist who paints, embroiders, and ultimately, heals through storytelling.
