From the quiet streets of Zwelihle to breathtaking art admired beyond South Africa’s borders, local embroidery artist, Mninawa Louw, is stitching together impeccable international recognition – one thread and needle at a time.

But despite his growing acclaim and becoming a respected and familiar name in one of the town’s oldest galleries, the humble artist would rather let the art do the talking.

His grandmother became the muse and inspiration for TikToker, an art piece inspired by and made in celebration of her. And beyond her encouragement, she often read the Bible to her grandchildren.

“I grew up in a big family,” Mninawa says. “[And] my grandmother always encouraged us.”

The 28-year-old Mninawa grew up in Cape Town until the passing of his mother, which brought him to Zwelihle at six years old, where he lived with his siblings and cousins under the guidance and care of his grandmother.

It wasn’t until the Rossouw Modern Art Gallery hosted a workshop in 2019 when he had his first in-person experience with artists and different forms of art. This was also the year when he was officially curated by the Gallery for the first time.

“[When I was in] school, I didn’t know that I wanted to become an artist. But I loved drawing,” he says. “But late after [high school], I went to this workshop in Zwelihle; a community programme where I learnt about embroidery.”

Mninawa completed his high school studies at Qhayiya Secondary School in Zwelihle.

His favourite subject was mathematics and he fell in love with its ability to challenge his thinking and processing – something that he considered the making of art itself.

Credit to the subject, he was always an artist that had not found his niche at the time.

“Before I changed my theme to abstracts, I was busy with township scenes where I would create [artwork with] kids playing skipping rope. Other ones were just township scenes,” says the young artist, who makes no use of machines for his artwork.

His work is displayed in the 1995-established Rossouw Modern Art Gallery, where it sits right next to that of Ndebele artist Dr Esther Mahlangu; but it is never swallowed by that of its legendary neighbour.

His fiber-art style takes the form of embroidery using just wool and a needle on a hessian cloth. Upon first glance, it becomes clear that Mninawa was following his own path. His work has reached international appeal, with orders coming in from European countries as well.

“To me, the designing of a piece just flows. Before I design an artwork, I first draw it on paper. And maybe draw it with three different kinds of designs, then I choose one,” he says describing his process. “Then I choose the colours.”

Like other artists, Mninawa has seen his fair share of challenging artworks, particularly one named Mother Nature, I See You. To date, it has been the biggest piece he has ever created.

“It took me a month [to finish it],” says the artist who typically spends two days on less demanding artworks.

And like all artists, Mninawa hopes to one day open an art gallery in Zwelihle which he hopes will create jobs and keep young people off the streets and away from trouble.

“I would love to give back to the community and use the work that I have done to teach young people and kids where they will have a space to work while helping out those unemployed,” he says.

Mninawa’s work is currently displayed at the Rossouw Modern Art Gallery.