Alfred Thoba (1951–2023, Johannesburg, South Africa) was a fiercely independent, largely self-taught painter whose politically and socially engaged practice addressed life under and beyond apartheid. He first came to public attention in 1988 with a painting recalling the youth rebellions of the 1970s, yet, as Sean O’Toole notes, Thoba “died in obscurity in late 2023…He received no obituary in any art press…slipped from public memory.”

Throughout his career, Thoba remained committed to portraying the realities of township life in post-apartheid South Africa, focusing less on overt violence than on the social and moral consequences of urbanisation and westernisation. His subjects often included children navigating theft, survival, and street life, as well as human relationships and personal suffering. Contemporary events, drawn from newspapers, frequently informed his work, and many paintings were accompanied by handwritten notes or letters offering insight into his reflections.

O’Toole further observes that, despite producing only around 250 paintings in his lifetime—a number comparable to Frida Kahlo—Thoba’s work was “deeply invested in themes of ‘reverie, cruelty and sexuality’,” highlighting the psychological depth and emotional intensity of his vision. His 2001 self-portrait My Spiritual Self Portrait exemplifies this introspective approach, revealing a concern with human psychology without the direct self-representation seen in Kahlo’s work.

Thoba’s work was shown in notable solo exhibitions including Sex and Suburbia at Natalie Knight Gallery, Johannesburg (1994), New Horizons with Thomas Kgnope, which toured Canada (1995), A Step Becomes a Statement at Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg (2018), and True Love at Kalashnikovv Gallery in collaboration with Strauss & Co, Johannesburg (2024). His work also featured in group exhibitions and projects such as Artists Protest Detention without Trial at Market Gallery, Johannesburg (1988); Panoramas of Passage: Changing Landscapes of South Africa at Joseloff Gallery, Connecticut (1995); Fault Lines: Enquiries into Truth and Reconciliation at Cape Town Castle (1996); Halakasha! Soccer Exhibition at Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg (2010); We Love Mandela at South Africa House, Trafalgar Square, London (2013); THIS PLACE – THIS SPACE at Moor Gallery, Cape Town (2016); Shifting Conversations at University of Johannesburg (2017); and When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting at Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town (2022–23).

Thoba’s work was also represented at major art fairs, including 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London (2019), Investec Cape Town Art Fair (2020, 2022, 2024), and FNB Art Joburg Fair (2019, 2020, 2024). His paintings are held in prominent public and private collections, including the De Beers Centenary Art Gallery, Johannesburg Art Gallery, RMB Art Collection, Museum Afrika, Iziko South African National Gallery, Standard Bank Collection, and Wits Art Museum.

In a career marked by privation, obscurity, and dogged persistence, Thoba secured a place in South African art history, and this presentation by Kalashnikovv Gallery and Strauss & Co aims to give the artist the visibility and recognition his work merits.