Visual Artist · Portraiture
Midrand, South Africa
Est. 2013
Portraits that celebrate African identity
Stylised realism in acrylic on canvas — affirming beauty, dignity, and self-acceptance.
Stylised realism in acrylic on canvas — affirming beauty, dignity, and self-acceptance.
“I paint so that viewers may see themselves reflected with pride and authenticity.”
Lerato Nyalungu, born 29 December 1996, grew up in Leondale, Germiston, and currently resides in Midrand, South Africa. She is a visual artist whose practice centres on portraiture.
She demonstrated a strong aptitude for Visual Arts throughout high school and was awarded the Champion Award for Excellence in Visual Arts in both 2013 and 2014. Although she initially intended to pursue a career in art, she chose to study Architecture — completing her studies while continuing to develop her artistic practice independently.
Alongside her professional work in design, she has remained committed to creating and selling artwork through private commissions. Working primarily in acrylic paint on canvas, she creates stylised realist portraits that celebrate African identity, natural 4C hair, and cultural heritage.
Her work challenges narrow beauty standards that have historically marginalised African features and natural hair textures — contributing to contemporary conversations about representation and cultural memory.
Five paintings in acrylic. Click a work to enquire about it.
Begun after being retrenched during maternity leave — a painting about finding peace when autonomy feels taken away. The rising hair tower carries the hardships that build character: struggle worn as a badge of honour.
A small, unflinching study. Against the bare ground there is nowhere for the gaze to rest but hers — a portrait of composure before an answer is given.
A painting about support and silent presence. Two women stand with their backs to us, beaded strands falling between them like a shared sentence — at peace, facing uncertainty together.
An exploration of royalty and dethroning. Robed in purple — the colour of sovereignty — she gazes toward a reality that approaches: the moment the crown is contested.
The painting that started the whole series: a portrait of my maternal grandmother Matilda. Every work that followed pays homage to the inheritance she embodies.
Portraits that affirm beauty, dignity, and self-acceptance — celebrating African features and natural 4C hair as they are.
Challenging narrow beauty standards that have historically marginalised African features and natural hair textures.
Exploring belonging and heritage, so that viewers encounter images in which they recognise themselves.
Each commission is painted by hand in acrylic on canvas — a singular work created in conversation with you.
Share your idea — the subject, reference photographs, and the canvas size you have in mind.
We discuss composition, palette, and framing, and agree on a timeline and price.
The portrait is painted in the studio, with progress shared along the way.
The finished work is varnished, carefully packed, and delivered or collected.
Commissions are currently open. Share a few details and I’ll get back to you.
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