Themba Mwanza (b. 1999) is a highly compelling Johannesburg-based contemporary South African multidisciplinary artist whose evocative studio practice explores the fluid boundaries of memory, nostalgia, and personal identity. Born in Mpumalanga, Mwanza formalised his visual vocabulary at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2020 and was awarded the prestigious Anya Millman Scholarship for Outstanding Work in Fine Art. His work operates as an intimate space of communication between his present and younger self, incorporating a distinct softness, curiosity, and playfulness rooted in childhood vision.

During his undergraduate studies, Mwanza achieved sudden national recognition through a landmark collaboration between BMW South Africa and the Wits School of Arts. He designed his own iteration of the prestigious BMW Art Car series—a mixed-media installation on a classic E30 325i titled Mangobe Gado Gusheshe. Drawing heavy inspiration from his daily working-class commute on the Metrorail locomotive systems, the automotive piece was later acquired into BMW’s private art collection and exhibited at the NIROX Sculpture Park.