Lulama Wolf (b. 1993) is a visual artist who lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the intersection of Neo-Expressionism and Modern African Art, Wolf explores the pre-colonial African experience through a contemporary lens. Her process involves smearing, scraping, and employing deep pigment techniques inspired by vernacular architecture. These techniques often incorporate patterns traditionally created by women to decorate traditional African homes.
History and the proof of life are the core concepts in her work. Where there has rarely prior been reference of life in black spirituality, she counters that narrative by creating two dimensional paintings to embody the simplicity and deep spiritual power of the native eye. Her motivation is both tender and protective of her imaginary world, and her symbolic view of how her world looks into an alternate universe. She is set on creating both a photographic and graphic experience, that morphs and shapeshifts into a higher dimensional plane.
At only 31 years of age, Wolf’s work is featured in collections around the world. She was the finalist of the The Emergence Art Prize (2020), and a featured artist at ArtXLagos 2022, as part of their Artists Across Borders Programme, and of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York in May 2023. Notable exhibitions include Reflect, Reimagine, Reset, THK Gallery, Cape Town (2020) 1-54 at Christies, Paris (2021), Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt, FNB Art Joburg, Johannesburg (2021) The Right To Ease, The Breeder Gallery, Athens (2022) Ayakha: Indlela Yokuxola / Rebuilding: The Path to Forgiveness (2023) THK Gallery, Cape Town, and Common Efforts, Eighteen Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark, (2023). Her work has caught the attention of not only collectors, but designers - she designed a range of homeware for H&M worldwide in 2023 and collaborated with Bang & Olufsen. In 2024, Wolf was awarded the “Artist of the Year” prize by House & Garden in partnership with Norval Foundation.