Three artists explore love, identity and belief in new exhibition

What does love look like when it is expressed through memory, faith, identity and the way people see themselves? Three South African artists are bringing their individual interpretations of these questions together in My Loves Summer, a new exhibition opening at Gallery MOMO in Johannesburg on 16 November.

Featuring Fhatuwani Mukheli, Justice Mukheli and Sthu Manaka, the exhibition marks the first time the three artists have presented their work together in a gallery. Running until 14 February 2027, it brings together distinct approaches to painting and photography, shaped by their shared history, friendship and creative partnership through My Loves Studio.

Although the artists share a studio, their work does not follow a single visual direction. Instead, each explores a different aspect of Black life and experience, from representation in art history and the relationship between spiritual traditions to faith, vulnerability and the importance of feeling supported.

Fhatuwani Mukheli places Black figures centre stage

Picture: Supplied

Fhatuwani Mukheli’s paintings reconsider the way Black people have been represented in traditional art history, drawing on the scale and composition associated with Renaissance painting.

Working with monochromatic black oil on Belgian linen, he depicts figures at rest and in moments of everyday life. His technique involves building up and removing layers of paint, creating surfaces that sit somewhere between a painting and a charcoal drawing.

His visual approach is informed by his background in photography, advertising and graffiti, as well as memories of growing up between Soweto and Venda. Family gatherings and December visits to his grandfather’s home also influence the way he approaches the idea of summer.

‘Black people deserve peace, relaxation, opulence, royalty and joy,’ says Mukheli. ‘I want audiences to leave feeling that this is not an exception but something we were always owed.’

Justice Mukheli examines the space between belief systems

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Justice Mukheli approaches the exhibition through photography, using water as a recurring point of connection between African ancestral practices and Christianity.

His contribution includes images from I Heard There Are Rivers in the Sky, a series combining newer photographs taken in Lagos with earlier work produced in South Africa.

Within the series, water carries different spiritual meanings. In ubungoma, it can represent a place of encounter with ancestors, while in Christianity it is associated with baptism, cleansing and renewal.

Rather than offering a definitive interpretation of these beliefs, Mukheli leaves room for uncertainty. One photograph, Untitled IV (2026), shows a man standing beside the water at dusk, facing away from the viewer. His reason for being there is left open to interpretation.

‘I am not asking anyone to pick a side. I am asking them to stand inside the question with me,’ says Justice Mukheli. ‘The photograph doesn’t answer that, and neither do I.’

His interest in these questions stems partly from his own upbringing in a Christian environment, followed by later encounters with ubungoma that prompted him to reconsider some of the beliefs he had inherited. His work in Lagos further broadened that exploration beyond the South African context.

Sthu Manaka turns towards vulnerability and faith

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For Sthu Manaka, the exhibition introduces a new collection titled Lost Boys, which marks a departure from the eye imagery associated with his earlier work.

The series considers faith, vulnerability and the forms of support people may experience during uncertain periods. One of its central works, Morwa Waka, depicts a hand reaching towards a kneeling figure, suggesting an act of comfort and protection.

The work draws on the emotional atmosphere of Nduduzo Makhathini’s song ‘At Your Feet, Oh Lord’. Manaka uses the image of the reaching hand to explore the idea that care can be present even when it is not immediately visible.

‘This body of work is the in-between of life,’ says Manaka. ‘When you are having the time of your life, you do not see the hand that protects you. When you are crying and feeling down, you do not see the hands that shelter you. This work is a reminder that we are not alone.’

While the artists’ work differs in subject and medium, My Loves Summer brings their practices into conversation through a shared interest in memory, identity and the ways people relate to one another.

Their connection through My Loves Studio is rooted in a long friendship and a shared creative environment. The exhibition offers an opportunity to see how that relationship has developed alongside their individual artistic identities.

Exhibition details

• Exhibition: My Loves Summer
• Artists: Fhatuwani Mukheli, Justice Mukheli and Sthu Manaka
• Venue: Gallery MOMO, Johannesburg
• Opening date: Monday, 16 November 2026
• Closing date: Sunday, 14 February 2027