Lhola Amira
Biography
Born in Gugulethu, South Africa, in 1984, Lhola Amira is a multidisciplinary artist based in Cape Town. Their practice incorporates Appearance, installation, photography, video, and film and is informed by southern African Nguni spiritual traditions, ancestry, memory, and the continuing effects of colonialism. Amira's practice draws on the Nguni concept of Ukuvela, which connects individual existence with collective historical and future narratives.
Amira's work includes Looking for Ghana & The Red Suitcase, LAGOM: Breaking Bread with the Self-Righteous, Abalozi Bayeza / Os Deuses Estão Chegando, and Philisa: Ditaola. Their practice has been presented internationally, including at the 22nd Biennale of Sydney and in exhibitions at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
Their 2022–2024 exhibition Lhola Amira: Facing the Future at the de Young Museum brought together works addressing African spirituality, ancestral memory, colonial violence, and healing. Amira's practice often invites audiences to engage with questions of collective memory, land, displacement, and repair through sensory and participatory experiences.
BQW Impact
Amira's significance to BQW lies in the intersection of queerness, plural identity, contemporary art, and ancestral practice. Their work brings African spiritual knowledge, ancestral memory, and queer and gender-diverse experiences into contemporary-art contexts while examining colonial history, land, identity, and collective healing.
Notable Works
Looking for Ghana & The Red Suitcase (2017)
A multidisciplinary constellation incorporating photography, installation, and a short film examining African identity, decolonization, nationality, and race.
LAGOM: Breaking Bread with the Self-Righteous (2017)
A short film examining Sweden's colonial relationship with Africa and questions of colonial memory.
Abalozi Bayeza / Os Deuses Estão Chegando (2019)
A multidisciplinary body of work developed through Amira's engagement with Bahia, Brazil, bringing photography, installation, and ancestral narratives into dialogue.
Philisa: Ditaola (2018)
A large-scale mixed-media installation centered on healing, ancestry, memory, land, water, and the wounds of colonialism.
Facing the Future (2022)
A solo exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco exploring African spirituality, ancestral memory, colonial histories, and collective healing.
Learn More
Independent Curators International: Lhola Amira
Provides a professional biography, information about Amira's artistic practice, pronouns, exhibitions, and international work.
Biennale of Sydney: Lhola Amira
Documents Amira's practice and work presented through the Biennale, including their engagement with ancestry, spirituality, colonial history, and healing.
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Lhola Amira: Facing the Future
Documents Amira's major solo exhibition at the de Young Museum and its focus on African spirituality, ancestral memory, and collective healing.
Amira's Instagram account.