Chumisa Fihla was born in Cape Town in 1996 and stuided at Fish Hoek High School before finding a mentor in Mandy Johnston and becoming a fellow of the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of Western Cape (UWC), through its artist-in-residence program.
While his family originates from Alice in the Eastern Cape, Fihla grew up in a township called Masiphumele in the Western Cape. As a young artist, Fihla was inspired by his father, who is a welder, as well as by the work of Willie Bester. Fihla, too, builds sculptures with scrap metal, from his workshop in Masiphumelele. None of his siblings were able to further their careers in arts, but Fihla is determined to turn this tide. Not only as a sign of positive change in his own family, but to bring positive change in his community, too.
