Abstract
In this dissertation, I examine how masculinity is contested and reimagined by visual artists in contemporary South Africa. I argue that visual art is a powerful tool for challenging traditional notions of masculinity and for understanding gender. Building on Kopano Ratele’s (2022) view that masculinity is shaped by social context, I demonstrate how cultural rituals and personal experiences can influence the development of masculine identities. Using the theory of symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969), I analyse the works of Nicholas Hlobo and Lawrence Lemaoana, alongside my own practice, to show how the symbolic nature of materials can be reinterpreted, and new meanings created. Hlobo’s work engages queerness, Xhosa rituals, and cultural multiplicity, while Lemaoana explores sport, media, and performance in post-apartheid contexts. In my practice, I use painting, sculpture, collage, and mixed media to reflect on memory, ritual, vulnerability, and societal expectations. In this research, I demonstrate that masculinity is neither inherent nor singular but adaptive and contestable. By treating artmaking as inquiry, I contribute to the discourses on gender, culture, and identity, proposing a vision of masculinity that embraces diversity and transformation within my Xhosa cultural context.