1995

Nzaliseko “Nza” Maponye is a multidisciplinary visual artist, designer, and animator from eNgcobo in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, currently based in Johannesburg. His practice spans sculpture, oil painting, animation, augmented reality, and design, exploring identity, inner experience, spirituality, and the often-unseen dimensions of the human condition. His work has been exhibited at the Pretoria Art Museum, while his animated short film has been showcased at the Johannesburg Film Festival. Nzaliseko is also part of the DC100, recognising 100 emerging and influential creatives. Working across traditional and contemporary materials and technologies, his practice brings together bronze, cement, semi-precious stone, oil paint, resin, animation, and digital media. His work is characterised by recurring faceless figures and symbolic forms that reflect on selfhood, memory, transformation, and the ongoing search for meaning.