ARTS & CULTURE
Yolanda Mazwana
WHERE
MEETS EMOTION
BY BYRON LUKAS
For self-taught visual artist Yolanda Mazwana, painting is far more than the act of placing colour on canvas.
IS THERE ONE PIECE YOU’ VE CREATED THAT HOLDS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL MEANING FOR YOU, AND WHY? Resting on Itself, from How Her Body Rests, holds a particularly special place for me because it became an entry point into this new season of my practice. It opened up a much bigger question.
In an interview with Inbound SA, she discusses the inspiration behind her deeply expressive work and explains how she reimagines the female body as a living archive of memory, emotion, and psychological experience, rather than simply something to be observed.
WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM, AND HOW HAS YOUR ARTISTIC STYLE EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS? My work is deeply rooted in the body and the emotional experiences it carries. I’ m interested in the female body as something that holds memory, emotion, and psychological experience, not just something that is seen.
Much of my inspiration comes from paying attention to my own internal landscape – moments of anxiety, vulnerability, rest, and healing – and translating those feelings into visual form.
ARE THERE ANY DAILY RITUALS THAT HELP FUEL YOUR CREATIVITY? My days are usually quite simple. I spend a lot of time in the studio, but I also make space for quiet moments. I enjoy listening to music while I paint, taking walks, journalling, and spending time in prayer. Those moments help me slow down and reconnect with myself before I begin working.
HOW HAS TRAVEL INSPIRED YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY? Tuscany, Italy, has left a lasting impression on me. There’ s a quietness to it, the landscape, the pace, and the atmosphere that really stayed with me. Spending time in Florence and seeing its rich history of sculpture reminded me that there are endless possibilities in what it means to be an artist. I’ d love to spend time in Asia next, particularly learning from ceramicists and sculptors.
42 INBOUND SA / AUGUST 2026