Lower East Side, New York
Sungi Mlengeya
Tides of Being
NADA East BroadwayLUNCH (Located Under NADA’s Central Headquarters) is pleased to host Sungi Mlengeya, Tides of Being, presented by Afriart Gallery, Kampala. Water is boundless. It echoes continuity and the vastness of existence. It distorts, reflects, and reveals. In Tides of Being, Sungi Mlengeya explores the fluid relationship between body and water—between expanse and closeness, stillness and motion. This exhibition marks a pivotal moment in Sungi’s practice, coinciding with the publication of her first monograph. It is an expansion beyond the canvas—a testament to an ongoing journey of creation, reflection, and honoring those who inspire her work. For years, bodies—predominantly women—have been central to the artist’s visual language, emerging against vast white spaces that evoke a world of infinite possibility. In this new body of work, water becomes a crucial element. It embraces and reshapes the figures it touches, offering a space for transformation, surrender, and renewal. The women in these paintings—friends, family, and muses—are both grounded and weightless, their forms shifting between clarity and abstraction. Some command attention with their gaze, others drift into meditative solitude, their gestures mirroring the natural rhythms of waves and currents. There is dance here—slow, suspended, and effortless. Water amplifies movement, elongates limbs, and blurs boundaries, creating a world where bodies and elements merge. It is a celebration of presence, an affirmation of existence, and a plunge into the profound. At its core, Tides of Being invites the viewer to join in the search for meaning through space—a poetic exploration of how we exist in relation to our environments, to one another, and the fleeting eternal rhythm we create. Born in 1991 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Sungi Mlengeya has gained recognition for her distinctive visual language, characterized by monochromatic portraits of Black women. Her meticulously painted figures are set against minimalist white backgrounds, creating a striking contrast that emphasizes skin texture and form. Mlengeya’s figurative portraiture serves as a tribute to the women in her life, portraying them in states of movement and stillness; strength and calm; resilience and repose. Through the interplay of light and expansive negative space, she conveys a sense of boundless possibility, inviting viewers to reflect on the inherent freedom and power of those she paints. Mlengeya’s work has garnered international attention and is featured in prominent private and public collections. Following her debut solo exhibition, Just Disruptions at Afriart Gallery in Kampala, she presented Unsettled Minds, a solo booth at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2021. In 2022, her solo exhibition (Un)choreo-graphed marked the reopening of The Africa Centre in London, and her work was also the focus of Don’t Try, Don’t not Try, a solo show hosted by the B.LA Foundation in Vienna, Austria. Her work has been included in When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, a groundbreaking traveling exhibition presented at the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, Kunstmuseum Basel, and Bozar Brussels (2022–2025). In 2024, Mlengeya’s work was featured in The Beauty of Diversity at the Albertina Modern in Vienna. In 2023, she participated in Insistent Presence: Contemporary Art from the Chazen Collection at the Chazen Museum of Art in the United States and Africa Supernova at Kunsthal KAdE in the Netherlands. Her other notable group exhibitions include A Force for Change at Agora Gallery in New York, an exhibition and auction hosted by UN Women in 2021 to support Black women globally, and Black Voices: Friend of My Mind at Ross-Sutton Gallery. Mlengeya has also exhibited at Unit London in The Medium is the Message and Drawn Together, and her work was showcased in 1-54 Highlights at Christie’s London. Her participation in Playing to the Gallery in 2020 and Surfaces II: Gender Identity Rebellion in 2019 at Afriart Gallery acclaimed her mark in the contemporary art scene. Mlengeya was named one of Apollo’s 40 Under 40 Africa in 2020, recognizing her as one of the most influential young figures in African art. In 2023, she was honored as a resident at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, and she was also included in the inaugural Keep Walking: Africa Top 30 list. Founded in 2002 and located in Kampala, Afriart Gallery (AAG) is one of the leading international contemporary art galleries representing artists who live and work on the African continent. Our mission is to connect African artists to the global art market and audience, creating a fair and supportive environment where creativity thrives, and powerful ideas find their voice. At Afriart Gallery, we champion originality and foster meaningful dialogue between artists, collectors, and the public. We are dedicated to showcasing groundbreaking artistic expressions and creating a space where collectors can discover thought-provoking, transformative works. Our founder, Daudi Karungi, a trained artist, established the gallery with a deep understanding of the challenges African artists face, from limited access to mentorship and opportunities to the complexities of navigating the global art world. Afriart Gallery was built to address these gaps—serving as a platform for empowerment, visibility, and professional growth. We are passionate about fostering artistic development through carefully curated exhibitions, workshops, residencies, and mentorship programs. These initiatives not only enrich the practices of emerging and established artists but also provide collectors and curators with an opportunity to connect deeply with Africa’s vibrant and diverse creative scene. Preserving Africa’s artistic legacy is central to our vision. Through archiving and documenting the stories and contributions of our artists, we ensure their work continues to inspire future generations. Our represented artists regularly feature on some of the most prestigious international platforms, including major museums, biennales, exhibitions, and art fairs such as Art Basel Miami Beach, ZONAMACO Mexico City, Expo Chicago, Art Paris, Liste Art Fair Basel, Abu Dhabi Art, 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair NY/London, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, FNB Joburg, Art X Lagos, AKAA Paris, and ARCO Lisbon. Afriart Gallery stands as a beacon of excellence and innovation, representing the finest in contemporary African art and redefining the global art landscape.