Malebona Maphutse (b. 1994, South Africa) is a Johannesburg/Los Angeles-based visual artist. She completed her BA.FA (Fine Arts Hons) at the University of Witwatersrand and is currently completing her MFA in Filmmaking at New York Film Academy. Throughout her body of work, she embraces heterogeneous media, particularly painting, sculptural installation, linocut printing, digital prints, and video art. In her practice, the artist challenges historical narratives. By doing so, Maphutse investigates how bodies transcend mere existence, not only encountering space but also understanding the politics of space.

Maphutse’s œuvre has been exhibited at major international exhibitions, such as the Bergen Triennial 2019 (The Dead Are Not Dead) and the Stellenbosch Triennial 2020 (Tomorrow There Will Be More Of Us). Recently, the artist produced her digital interactive work (We Don’t Die, We Multiply: Siyagoduka Ka Spaceship Babez) during her fellowship at the ICA / Institute for Creative Arts in Cape Town. Both locally and overseas Malebona Maphutse has been an artist-in-residence, including the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in Johannesburg (South Africa), the Wiels Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels (Belgium) and the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris (France). She has had two solo shows to date, (Mmamoloi, Moloi, Mamoloyi, Ba Re Wa Loya: F*#k Your Fake Ass History and, SIYAGODUKA KA FLYING SAUCER BABEZ: BACK TO THE FUTURE) at Bag Factory Artist studios and P72 Projects in collaboration with Studio Nxumalo and Kalashnikov gallery as well as a duo show: (I Wanna Rock Lefatshe) at TMRW Gallery. Through her recent residency collaboration with This Is Not. A White Cube and The NESR Art Foundation she spent some time in Luanda as part of the Emerging Painting Invitational.

Immersed in the intricate interplay of myth and reality enveloping Queen Modjadji, a figure of profound significance within the Bolobedu community of South Africa, my research inquiry has been fueled by a continuous engagement spanning six years, seeking to illuminate her narrative. Historically refracted through predominantly male and Western perspectives, my aim is to weave a narrative fabric that not only encompasses Queen Modjadji's story but also intertwines my own identity with hers, resonating profoundly with those who share an affinity with her historical presence. Amidst the diversity of origin narratives surrounding her legacy, her role as a contemporary matriarchal Queen and heir to a distinguished lineage remains the cornerstone of her narrative.

While focusing on this research and writing a script I found it was difficult to fully think of the shots without building a visual display of what I think this story ought to look like and as I she said many a tomes. My paintings serve as scenic outlines and storyboards that help me formulate and map out my stories. These works serve as storyboards that go into the intricacies and of my film. They serve as a creative visual mapping of my film.