Incognito 5

Qhamanande Maswana’s Incognito series is a compelling body of narrative figurative paintings that explores the tension between visibility and anonymity. Painted in vivid complementary colors, each acrylic-on-canvas work commands attention while resisting full disclosure. Maswana’s bold brushstrokes and expressive palette create a push-pull effect: the viewer is drawn in by vibrant color and emotive form, yet held at a distance by the obscured faces of the figures. This deliberate concealment opens a space of psychological ambiguity—who are these subjects, and what does it mean to be seen without being known?

The series emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the act of covering one’s face became both a practical necessity and a shared visual experience. The scarves that veil the mouths and noses of Maswana’s subjects echo this moment, while also transforming it—elevating the ordinary into metaphor. In Incognito, masking becomes a symbol of both protection and performance, allowing Maswana to ask timely questions about identity, representation, and the many ways we navigate being visible in an ever-shifting world.