Treasure Mlima (b. 1999, Durban, South Africa) is a self-taught South African artist whose work explores identity, space, and the African experience through mixed-media prints. Raised between formal art education in high school and self-directed learning, Mlima built his practice largely outside conventional academic training, shaping a visual language rooted in both trial and error and personal spiritual inquiry.

His technical process begins with found images, which he digitally manipulates into layered collages before carving the compositions into wood and finishing them with oil-based and acrylic inks, a method that moves fluidly between digital and hand-worked techniques. The resulting 2D prints draw on the visual languages of Pop Art and Surrealism: Pop aesthetics let him engage familiar symbols, brands, and stereotypes, while Surrealism opens space for the uncanny. Recurring motifs include headless figures, blank or untypical backdrops, and suspended conversations, imagery he uses to explore mental health, African identity, and social concerns.

Mlima describes himself as a cultural practitioner with a duty to expose what is hidden, using neutral symbolism to reveal existing realities and suggest alternative ones. His work reflects a broader rebellion against traditional art principles, favoring unorthodox techniques that capture the immediacy of his thinking. He plans to develop this approach further through a lifelong, non-linear series titled “Honing,” which will range across multiple mediums.

Mlima work has gained growing recognition since the early 2020s, including a 2023 solo presentation, “The Search for a Face,” at Gordon Gallery in Tel Aviv, participation in the RMB Latitudes Art Fair the same year, and finalist recognition for the Bloom Art Prize. His prints are held in private collections that continue to build his profile as an emerging voice in contemporary African art.