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Artist Statement
Kungacondzisisi by Noncedo.
My inspiration stems from personal experiences and the stories of others. I take on the role of an observer as a storyteller, capturing psychology's intricate layers and the deeply emotive aspects of human existence. I am particularly drawn to holistic psychology, which encompasses spirtuality, mental health, emotional well-being, and social connections. Photography allows me to intertwine these elements, creating work that is both introspective and universally resonant
At its core, my work seeks to spark thought, introspection, and dialogue. I create art that goes beyond aesthetics- it is an invitation to engage with personal and collective emotions, to question, and to connect. My use of abstract photographic techniques stems from a childhood moment when I first discovered an old photograph of my parents, igniting my fascination with images that hold deeper meaning. By layering psychological themes with artistic expression, I address identity, culture, religion, mental health, and the essence of community.
As an artist, my practice continuously evolves through experimentation and an expanding understanding of human emotions. With a background in psychology and experience in photography, writing, and creative direction. I blend multiple creative disciplines to shape immersive narratives. My journey as a storyteller is deeply rooted in authenticity. Each project I undertake is an exploration of self and society, aiming to leave a lasting impact on those who engage with my work.
Let’s begin with your background. How has growing up in Eswatini shaped the way you tell stories, visually or otherwise?
Noncedo: Growing up in Eswatini taught me that stories aren’t always spoken—they’re lived, often in silence. Our culture places a high value on restraint, reverence for elders, and respect for tradition. These unspoken rules shaped how I learned to see the world—through subtlety, symbolism, and what isn’t said.
As a child, I observed more than I spoke—not entirely by choice, but because I was raised in an environment that didn’t always make room for emotional expression. Over time, that silence became a lens. Imagination became a form of escape, and writing became my way of processing what I couldn’t say aloud.
Both rural and suburban life, oral storytelling traditions, school assemblies, and church rituals have influenced how I frame memory and emotion in my work. These layered experiences trained me to think visually—to tell stories with texture, quiet tension, and emotional weight, even when words fall short.
Much of your work explores mental health, grief, spirituality, and memory. What draws you to these themes and how do you hold them with care in your creative process?
Noncedo: I’m drawn to what remains unspoken—the emotional subtext that shapes how we live and relate.
In Swazi society, mental health and grief are often stigmatized, yet they are present in every home, shaping our choices, silences, and survival strategies.
Through my work, I try to create space for vulnerability—both mine and that of others. I approach these themes with a kind of ritual care: questioning inherited beliefs, sitting with discomfort, writing through thoughts and silence, and eventually creating images that hold emotion without sensationalizing it.
For me, visual expression is not about imposing meaning but about raising awareness, making space for introspection, and honoring emotional truth. The aim isn’t to provoke, but to invite reflection—gently, intentionally.
Your projects often emerge from observation and reflection rather than fixed
conclusions. Can you walk us through how a photo like Neglected or Faces takes shape
Noncedo: “Neglected” began with a feeling—a longing for connection with loved ones I’ve lost. At the
time, I was grieving the death of my father, and that grief became the emotional entry point for the work. I started by writing down how that loss felt—raw, fragmented, and invisible—and I looked for a visual form that could carry those emotions.
I found an old portrait of two people i had taken a while back. One figure stands behind the other, almost as if anchoring them. I digitally altered the portrait by cutting out and reshaping the heads of the figures, creating voids that I then filled with images of the people I’ve lost.
The piece became a kind of memorial—part collage, part visual mourning. It was less about creating a final polished photo and more about confronting the absence, visually articulating that quiet ache of wanting to be with someone who’s no longer here.
Neglected by Noncedo
In your image This or That?, you reflect on spiritual tension and inherited belief systems. What role does personal questioning or inner conflict play in your work?
Noncedo: Inner conflict is the engine of my practice. This or That? came from my own questioning of Christianity and ancestral spirituality—both of which are practices we grew up observing in the Swazi culture. Often positioned in opposition. This piece doesn’t resolve these tensions—it holds them. It’s in the discomfort that I find the most honest images.
Eswatini’s traditions are rich yet often underrepresented in digital or global platforms. What does cultural visibility—or invisibility—mean to you as a Swazi storyteller?
Noncedo: What isn’t visible is often dismissed—and eventually lost. As a Swazi storyteller, I feel a responsibility to resist silence—not through grand declarations, but through intimate truths. Visibility, to me, doesn’t mean global validation. It means being seen on our own terms. It’s reclaiming the mundane moments—like a grandmother braiding hair, a boy praying alone in a hut—as worthy of preservation and recognition. Our voices and stories matter even if they’re quiet.
95% of Africa’s cultural heritage remains outside the continent. Restitution is happening, but slowly. What are your thoughts on this—and do you feel any connection between your photographic work and cultural reclamation?
Noncedo: The fact that most of Africa’s cultural heritage remains outside the continent raises complex questions—not just about ownership, but about access, context, and meaning. Colonialism didn’t only steal land and resources; it disrupted systems of knowledge and belonging. Restitution is not merely about returning objects—it’s about restoring the ability of African people to define the value and meaning of their own culture. Yet even as we fight for what was taken, we must also ask what cultural heritage means to us today. We are not defined solely by what was lost. Our stories, rituals, and practices continue to evolve.
My work as a photographer does not attempt to reconstruct the past, but to reflect on what still lives—through memory, emotion, and everyday expression. It is not a political statement of reclamation, but a personal act of witnessing and honoring how culture survives in motion, in fragments, in us.
Looking ahead, what are you hoping to uncover or hold space for in your next body of
work? What do you feel is still waiting to be told?
Noncedo: I want to hold space for the unspoken—for the things our bodies remember but our tongues won’t say. My next body of work will deepen this intention by moving beyond still images. I’m beginning to experiment with short films, merging photography with motion and sound to create layered forms of storytelling.
Thematically, I’ll be exploring ideas of self-identity, particularly how our environments and unprocessed trauma shape who we become. I’m also drawn to the psychological landscape of unemployed youth—the quiet grief of unmet potential, the emotional toll of waiting, and the dissonance between imagined futures and lived reality.
This next phase is about finding new language—visual, emotional, and cinematic—for stories that don’t always get told, especially in African contexts where silence is often mistaken for resilience.
Faces by Noncedo
Artist Profile
Full Name: Noncedo Lusito Msibi
Artist Name : Rare Breed
Mediums: Photography and Writing
Materials Often Used: Photography: DSLR camera, Lenses, Natural light, and Adobe Lightroom.
Writing: Laptop, Notebooks, and Microsoft Word
Do you have a creative ritual you always do before starting a new piece of work? Before starting a project, I write down my vision and gather images that reflect it. Then, I translate that into simple words to guide everyone involved.
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