Terence Maluleke (b. 1995, Soweto, South Africa) is a painter and digital artist based in Johannesburg. His work draws on the township community in which he grew up, celebrating the relationships, rituals and everyday experiences that shape contemporary Black life. Through stylised figures, vivid colour, geometric forms and rhythmic patterns, he creates portraits and still lifes that explore identity and belonging across African communities. His paintings combine the clarity of illustration with the expressive possibilities of paint. Artist biography.

A graduate of The Animation School in Johannesburg, Maluleke has also worked in visual development for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix and Triggerfish. This background informs his approach to character, composition and storytelling, giving his paintings a distinctive connection to animation and contemporary visual culture. Animation background.

Southern Guild has presented solo exhibitions of his work in Cape Town and Los Angeles. These include Grace in Grand Bassam in 2023, inspired by a residency in Côte d’Ivoire, and Like a Fish in the Water, which opened in Los Angeles in 2024 and explored faith, community and personal freedom. He has also participated in the Schütz Art Museum residency in Austria. His work is held in the collection of Dutch collectors Carla and Pieter Schulting, whose focus is contemporary African art. Exhibitions and residencies, Los Angeles exhibition, Schulting Collection.

His commitment to community extends into arts education. In 2022, he helped establish Kasi Sketchbook, a nonprofit initiative offering drawing clubs and mentorship to children and young adults in Johannesburg’s townships. By encouraging participants to draw their own surroundings, the project reflects a principle central to his painting: everyday life is a rich source of imagination, knowledge and artistic expression. Community initiative.