Lele msib
Lele Msibi is a 27-year-old South African artist based in Johannesburg. Completely self-taught, Lele has been drawing since childhood, with her skills evolving significantly after high school when she was introduced to new materials and tools. Charcoal was a pivotal discovery in her artistic journey, sparking a deep love for the medium and inspiring her to incorporate various other materials into her work.
Lele holds a degree in psychology from Hillcross College in Johannesburg and has dedicated much of her life to serving others, particularly through her work at a children’s clinic. However, in early 2023, she decided it was time to share a more personal side of herself—her art.
Her debut exhibition at TASWIRA featured her first work of art since highschool, The Elegance of Age. The piece, created during a pivotal moment of professional transition, quickly established her presence in the Seattle art scene, leading to her full-time commitment to art.
Through her work, Lele seeks to communicate the processes of patience, alignment, love, and dedication that define her creative practice. Each piece is a reflection of her passion, inviting viewers to connect with her depth of storytelling and explore their own personal reflections.
Recent works - 2026 exhibition coming soon...
“The Elegance of Age”, 2020
44" x 36"
Charcoal Drawing w Joint Compound/Acrylic on Masonite Board
“The Elegance of Age” is an artwork that exemplifies the beauty of the parallels that we all experience.
Time and patience; age and growth; peace and progress.
Given the current climate in which we live, aging is something most of us are trying to avoid and yet is inevitable and ongoing. As is the concept of time.
Upon coming across his photograph, the look in this old mans eyes reminded me of the childish innocence that lives in us all, while growing to love the challenges and blessings that come with nature taking its course.
This piece took 200 hours to complete.
“Beautiful Balance”, 2023
44" x 30"
Charcoal Drawing w Acrylic Setting on Masonite Board
It's very often that we forget the role that capturing a moment in time can play in our lives.
This time I don't make reference to taking your camera out to record what's happening in front of you or posing for a picture.
I mean that moment where you're experiencing something so magnificent that you pause, hold your breath a little and everything around seems to stop. Just for that brief moment you're offered an opportunity to really look at what you're seeing and recognize the movement it creates inside you.
Experiencing ballet provides one of these moments: you can hear every move they make; marvel at every perfect pirouette; and the musical accompaniment unique to the moment. All creating a perfect “beautiful balance”.
Creating this piece took 95 hours.
“A Little Bit of Peace”, 2024
28" x 44"
Charcoal and Joint compound drawing
Eric Gyamfi is a photographer I recently came across who’s images define a powerful simplicity. In this series he took photographs of little kids in Africa with their eyes closed that emanated a level of peace and sanctuary that I believe we all wish to encompass, especially through periods of difficulty.
“A little bit of peace” is a charcoal and joint compound drawing of one of these beautiful little boys. His eyes closed. Except, a sunflower replaces one of them. This sunflower acts as a window into his imagination. It is a suggestion of the colorful and creative vision all children have, no matter where they are from or what they are doing.
A creativity that we try our best to maintain as we grow but tends to get lost in the winds of responsibility and the necessity to mature.
What I appreciated about this series is that Eric chose not to display these children’s real surroundings of dust and poverty, but instead enveloped them in a black background as if to shine a light solely on their individuality as children. An individuality that too tends to get lost in the motion of what we call growing up.
This piece, and the one that precedes it (“Sweetheart”) were both from the same photography series and both impacted me tremendously.
“Sweetheart”, 2024
28" x 44"
Charcoal and Joint Compound
At the age of 10 years old I started my journey in volunteering. The very first little child I taught to read strikingly resembles that of this little “Sweetheart” you’re looking at.
He was a very small premature little boy who had probably the brightest smile I’ve ever seen on a child. This orphanage where I volunteered acted as the saving grace for thousands of children who happened to be found or if they were lucky enough brought to this home to be taken care of by selfless house mothers. And gladly with the intervention of the school I attended, were provided with the means to learn and grow in an environment where people cared for their well-being and education. An experience they wouldn’t have otherwise had if they weren’t saved from their homes.
“Sweetheart” is what this little boy called everybody.
And I mean everybody. It didn’t matter who you were, how old you were or why you were in his presence. If he saw you, he greeted you with the widest of smiles and said “Hello sweetheart”.
There aren’t enough people in life who I believe truly have the power to save the world but this little man was as super hero. As small as he was, and as much as he had very little to live on, he taught me the value of joy, laughter and pure kindness simply by choosing to be happy in the circumstances that didn’t bring much favor. He was a great student and near to perfect friend to all.
I am grateful to Eric Gyamfi and his photography for conjuring up such a powerful memory.