Buqaqawuli Nobakada (b. 2000) is a South African-born and based artist who specializes in depicting the honorable practice of craft in the self-fashioning, and self-presentation that Black women adopt. The artist calls this practice “performative visuality,” noting the meticulous care that goes into the makeup, hairstyling, and clothing choices that Black women make.
Nobakada considers beauty an element of luxury, sexual liberation, and confidence. Through her lace paper artworks and Black feminist perspective, she brings forth beauty in womanhood and sisterhood.
Her Ladyship, Countess of Cumakala, which was on view during the summer of 2025 at the Albany Museum of Art, was the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States.
