

Manaka’s artworks combine abstract portraiture with surreal, dreamlike imagery to explore the unseen dimensions of human experience. His figures often appear fragmented, transformed, or suspended between recognisable portraiture and abstraction, creating a sense of movement and ambiguity. Through expressive forms and layered visual elements, he investigates spirituality, identity, masculinity, and the nature of love beyond conventional boundaries. His approach allows the human figure to become both a physical presence and a vessel for exploring the emotional and spiritual forces that shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
Mthuthuzeli “Sthu” Manaka is a self-taught contemporary abstract portrait painter whose work explores the spiritual and emotional dimensions of human experience. His practice is deeply connected to his fascination with the spirit realm and the movement of the unseen. Manaka uses portraiture as a starting point for exploring identity, masculinity, love, and the fluidity of human experience. His imagery often moves beyond conventional representation, bringing together abstract and surreal elements to create figures and compositions that feel dreamlike, symbolic, and emotionally charged.
Manaka has exhibited widely in South Africa and internationally. His exhibition history includes presentations with Kalashnikov Gallery, Rust en Vrede Gallery, Youngblood Arts & Culture Development, Studio Nxumalo Contemporary, Turbine Art Fair, and FNB Art Fair. Internationally, his work has been exhibited with Van Der Plas Gallery in New York and M.A.D.S. Gallery in Venice, Italy. He has also participated in exhibitions and art initiatives connected to Capital Art Fair and Basha Uhuru, reflecting the growing international reach of his contemporary practice.
Mthuthuzeli “Sthu” Manaka is a self-taught contemporary abstract portrait painter whose work explores the spiritual and emotional dimensions of human experience. His practice is deeply connected to his fascination with the spirit realm and the movement of the unseen. Manaka uses portraiture as a starting point for exploring identity, masculinity, love, and the fluidity of human experience. His imagery often moves beyond conventional representation, bringing together abstract and surreal elements to create figures and compositions that feel dreamlike, symbolic, and emotionally charged.
Manaka has exhibited widely in South Africa and internationally. His exhibition history includes presentations with Kalashnikov Gallery, Rust en Vrede Gallery, Youngblood Arts & Culture Development, Studio Nxumalo Contemporary, Turbine Art Fair, and FNB Art Fair. Internationally, his work has been exhibited with Van Der Plas Gallery in New York and M.A.D.S. Gallery in Venice, Italy. He has also participated in exhibitions and art initiatives connected to Capital Art Fair and Basha Uhuru, reflecting the growing international reach of his contemporary practice.
“My work is about my personal obsession with the spirit realm, how the spirit moves, redefining masculinity, how to love without colour nor gender. How the spirit is honest, raw and faceless in its movement.”