about

Turiya Magadlela was born in 1978 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied at the University of Johannesburg and completed postgraduate research at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam in 2004.

Her practice centers on commonly found yet conceptually loaded fabrics — nylon pantyhose, correctional service uniforms, prison sheets — which she cuts, stitches, and folds across wooden frames to create multilayered abstract compositions without paint.

Drawing from her experiences as a Black woman and mother, and from the broader histories of South Africa, her work navigates racial discrimination, femininity, eroticism, and the enduring legacies of colonial and gendered violence.

Her works are held in public and institutional collections including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the University of Cape Town, and the Société Générale Collection in France.