Feni Chulumanco (b. 1994, Eastern Cape) is a South African figurative painter raised in Cape Town’s Langa Township. Encouraged by his art teacher and later mentored by artist Ayanda Mabulu at Greatmore Studios, Chulumanco developed a visual language rooted in personal growth, family and life in post-apartheid South Africa.

His earlier paintings often depict stripped-back human figures enclosed within transparent, glass-like boxes. These structures function as metaphors for isolation, emotional confinement and the “discomfort zones” that prevent individuals from recognizing their own worth. In later works, Chulumanco turns toward scenes of collective joy graduations, birthdays, exhibitions and traditional gatherings celebrating family networks, cultural exchange and Black achievement. Across both bodies of work, vulnerability and resilience remain closely connected.