Mfezeko Gumada (b. 1993, Flagstaff, Eastern Cape) is a contemporary South African multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores material reclamation, tactile material culture, cartographic memory, ancestral philosophy, and personal experiences in post-apartheid South Africa.

Based between Flagstaff and Durban, Mfezeko works primarily with textile-based mixed media, drawing, and installation. His practice is deeply informed by his upbringing, familial history, and his heritage as a descendant of AbaThembu and a nephew of the House of AmaTshawe clans. His early experiences of watching his mechanical engineer father rebuild vehicles from scrap, alongside his mother and aunts’ traditional textile repairs, shaped his tactile approach to materials and construction.

Gumada incorporates discarded materials such as cardboard, threads, ribbons, and bottle caps into richly textured works. A central philosophy within his practice is the symbolism of the Uqongqothwane (dung beetle), representing the gathering and transformation of what society casts aside, as well as guidance and finding one’s path home.

A proud disciple of uBuntu, Mfezeko studied Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and formerly served as a curatorial assistant at the DUT Art Gallery. His work has received national and international recognition, including first place at the KZNSA Gallery Annual Members Competition, a place in the Top 100 of the Sasol New Signatures Competition (2021), and exhibitions at the KZNSA Gallery and Investec Cape Town Art Fair. His work is also held in international collections, including the ARAK Collection in Doha, Qatar.

Mfezeko is also the CEO of HERUGOON (Pty) Ltd and, in June 2025, co-founded the Mfezeko Gumada Art Gallery and Multipurpose (MGAGaM), a rural art gallery co-op established to bring contemporary art spaces and institutional dialogue into rural South African communities.

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Actual colours may vary slightly from the images shown, due to lighting when photographed, and colour variations in monitors and on phone screens.