Kutlwano Monyai
Kutlwano Monyai’s artistry is an act of reclamation – a weaving together of memory, material, and meaning. Rooted in her family’s archive of domestic objects, her work transforms the overlooked into the extraordinary, honoring generational wisdom while interrogating its place in contemporary discourse.
Through plastic weaving, she bridges past and present, revealing the intricate relationships between economic survival, environmental consciousness, and aesthetic heritage. Each piece is a conversation – between her maternal and paternal lineages, between tradition and innovation, between what is seen and what is felt.
Born in Limpopo in 1996 and now based in Johannesburg, Monyai’s practice extends beyond the studio. She is an art researcher, a writer, and a facilitator, committed to deepening dialogues around artistic inheritance and materiality.
Her work has been recognized widely, earning her a place among the Top 40 Designers in the Design Indaba X Emerging Creative Class of 2022. She was also awarded the Young Woman Studio Residency at the Bag Factory, where she developed a body of work that examined the complexities of bondage – both literal and figurative – within domestic spaces.
Her presence in the art world has been steadily rising. From showcasing at the Turbine Art Fair with UNTITLD Collective to exhibiting at the Pretoria Art Museum, she has contributed to significant art platforms, including:
the Bag Factory’s Summer Salon 30th Anniversary Exhibition
the Mapped Diaries with Candice Berman Gallery
a residency at Modern Arts Projects South Africa in the Karoo.
As a facilitator at the Javett Art Centre and a mentee in The New Vanguard programme with Berman Contemporary, Monyai continues to shape and be shaped by artistic discourse. Her work is more than just craft – it is an act of storytelling, a visual language that unearths histories, preserves knowledge, and reimagines the bonds that connect us.
In a world that often disregards the artistry in the everyday, Monyai reminds us that within the textures of the mundane lie the most profound narratives.
