Mfundo Mthiyane creates multivalent surreal paintings that intertwine his inner and outer worlds, o ering reflections on the human condition. Using himself as a model, he incorporates objects and elements of nature as simulacra to articulate personal experiences, while observing and questioning the nature of reality.
Mfundo Mthiyane creates multivalent surreal paintings that intertwine his inner and outer worlds, offering reflections on the human condition. Using himself as a model, he incorporates objects and elements of nature as simulacra to articulate personal experiences, while observing and questioning the nature of reality.
His work functions as a visual diary of thoughts expressed through poetic imagery, guided by Stéphane Mallarmé’s principle: “Paint, not the thing, but the e ects it produces.” Through psychology, psychoanalysis, semiotics, and metaphor, Mthiyane explores the interplay of absence and presence. He has coined the term Mythaphorical Realism, a portmanteau of myth and metaphor to describe his distinctive approach, which draws from Surrealism and Magical Realism. Key influences include René Magritte, Salvador Dalí and Johannes Phokela.