Cinthia Sifa Mulanga: Challenging Black Female Representation Through Art

Cinthia Mulanga continues to make strides in the art industry as she’s recently been included/featured in the Artsy Vanguard 2023. Being featured as a promising artist in Artsy is just the tip of the iceberg, the young artist has managed to work and collaborate with prominent brands such as Gucci.

The artist is currently having her solo exhibition, showcasing some of her old and recent artworks at Latitudes between the 8th of November 2023 and 26 January 2024.

Who is Cinthia Sifa Mulanga?

Cinthia Mulanga is an artist born in the Democratic Republic of Congo who strives to represent black females and their experiences in relation to space, through art. She started off as a printmaker and evolved into a painter and collage maker. Art was not her “dream career” when she was growing up, Mulanga initially wanted a career in journalism or social work. Her love and passion for helping people is where her interest in journalism/social work stemmed from. However, as Mulanga was growing up, her brother taught her how to draw – which then awakened a creative side that we now get to experience from her artwork. “Hair, fashion, and make-up played a huge role in my love for art”, says Cinthia. Mulanga’s mother had a salon where she would do hair, this is where the artist would see different women, which evoked emotion and interest in her to tell stories about black females through her art.

Authentic stories that resonate with black females in today’s world are hard to come by, and what better way to portray black females than by a young, black female who sees and understands various experiences that black females go through.

Her love and passion for people continues to take center stage in her artwork as she tells stories of black females in a way that embraces and uplifts them. Mulanga draws most of her inspiration from the females who surround her, such as her mother, her sisters, and the women she grew up seeing in her mother’s salon – seeing how they live, and how certain situations affect them.

When Art Meets Fashion

It’s not every day where you find artwork/painting on a piece of clothing – and sold at an art exhibition. Mulanga expressed that her love for beauty and fashion runs deep, and when she was presented with the opportunity to have her artworks on actual clothing, she was beyond delighted. Latitudes approached Mulanga with the idea of having her artworks on clothing, starting off with a scarf and later into other types of clothing, such as shirts and trousers. The artist was in awe of how these two elements (art and fashion) work so well together. She also went on to emphasize the constant ever-changing nature of art. Art allows one to be as creative as they wish. “Just because a certain artist does things a certain way, doesn’t mean I should do them that way as well”, says Mulanga. The artist realized that there are limitless possibilities in the art industry, and her artwork being on silks (clothing) meant opening her work to a wider audience.

Female Representation in the Arts

There isn’t sufficient female representation in the art industry, from art gallery owners to the artists themselves, making it rather difficult for females who want to break into the industry to make a living from it. However, there are still women within the art industry paving a way for upcoming female artists. Platforms such as Latitudes exist to bridge that gap, not only exposing Africa’s talent to the world but women in the art industry as well. The power of female representation is evident in the leadership and inclusion of female artists at Latitudes. They are dedicated to creating opportunities and supporting African artists in a way that’s just and fair. In an industry that’s male-dominated, Cinthia Mulanga has sure made a name for herself. She continues to climb the ladder to success in the art industry with features such as the Artsy Vanguard 2023. With platforms such as Latitudes, creativity and talent from the likes of Cinthia Mulanga isn’t bound to go unnoticed.

Author/Research Writer

Lebogang Selekane