Sinalo Ntuli
Thembinkosi Sinalo Ntuli was born in 1977 in Stanger, Groutville where he studied at
Aldenville Primary. In 1988, he went to Boschkloof Intermediate boarding school. There, he
met Mlungisi Mfeka a senior at the school who was into art and this inspired and fuelled Ntuli’s
love for art. In 1992 he attended Estcourt High School and studied art before leaving in grade
11 due to an accident. He attained an N2 Certificate in Fine Arts in 1997 at Durban Central
College. He then moved to Johannesburg in 1999 to further his studies at Dobsonville College
where he attained a N3 Certificate in Fine Arts. Sinalo did Printmaking at Artist Proof Studio
and attended Funda Centre College where he graduated with a Diploma in Fine and Visual Arts
in 2003. He initially worked with oil paint, depicting South African people however, during
his residency at The Bat Centre in 2003 his theme changed after noticing that artists in KZN
focused their works on their surrounding rural life. This inspired him into painting the Reed
dance maidens, whose cultural values appealed to him and thus the use of real beads in his
work. He won the Thami Mnyele Art Competition in 2013. He co-curated the Ubuhle Bobuntu
Group exhibition at the Africa Museum. Sinalo has participated in group exhibitions at the
University of Johannesburg Gallery in 2015 and Spring Gallery in 2021. He draws his
inspiration from Mbongeni Buthelezi a visual artist who tutored him at Funda Centre College.
Artist Statement: Sinalo Ntuli-The Zulu Maiden Reed Dance
The concept of culture and diversity as well as embracing the construct of how culture moulds
individuals especially the girl child within the African communities underpins the traditional
beaded Zulu Maiden artworks that are Sinalo Ntuli’s artistic journey. For Sinalo the idea of
preserving and sharing the beauty of the Zulu culture with the wider world audience propels
and motivates his creation of these masterpieces that captures the essence of purity and
preserving oneself. Umkhosi Womhlanga or the Zulu Reed Dance as it is known to the Zulu
nation, is a centuries-old tradition that takes place in September, at the eNyokeni Palace in
Nongoma, Zululand. This important tradition celebrates a young girl’s purity while preparing
her for womanhood. According to Zulu tradition, the original ancestor emerged from a reed
bed, so the laying of reeds at the king’s feet symbolizes respect for the Zulu culture. The reeds
are also used to build traditional Zulu huts and to craft the mats and baskets for which the Zulu
people are famous. The artist fondness for the Zulu culture is intrinsically captured in his
handyworks as he individually selects the beads that make up the final masterpieces,
celebrating the culture and the values that are handed down from one generation to the other.