Maingaila Muvundika, conceptual artist based in Lusaka, Zambia

Maingaila Muvundika is a Lusaka-based conceptual artist who uses photography, digital collage and printmaking to explore human interactions within Zambia's diverse, syncretic society. His work subverts traditional portrayals of African men predominantly, offering layered, imaginative narratives that challenge conventional notions of identity, truth, and societal roles.

In 2024 he participated in “Re-entangling the Visual Archive”, a collaboration between Cambridge University Libraries, Anglia Ruskin University and Zambia Belonging funded by the University of Cambridge’s Collections-Connections Communities Strategic Research Initiatives that set out to address inequalities of access to archives and encourage confident, innovative and creative engagements with challenging connections.

In 2024, Maingaila was an artist-in-residence at Modzi Arts, where he presented his debut solo print exhibition “UNBECOMING”. He also participated in “Two Lizards Sharing One Stomach”, a collaboration between Modzi Arts and Mbassy in Hamburg, Germany (2023).

Recently, his work was exhibited at Stranger’s House Gallery in Mumbai in The Material Turn, curated by George Varley, Shamooda Amrelia and Prabhakar Kamble. Maingaila was also an exhibitor at the 2025 India Art Fair with the Young Collector’s Programme. In 2025, he was featured in Through Southern Eyes: Narratives In Focus by Bakashimika International Festival in Sharjah, UAE as part of Xposure Festival. In July 2025, he was part of “The Cairo Road”, a group exhibition curated by Sana Ginwalla.

How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?

I'd say I'm a visually and auditorily stimulated person that really enjoys art and human connection. I'm very passionate about history and photography.

How did you first get into photography?

Growing up, I was always fascinated with my family photo album. This is where my love for photography began.

In my early teens, I started an Instagram account that became a repository of many photographs of my immediate surroundings and observations, from foggy mornings on my way to school to plant matter in our home.

As my practice developed, I began to incorporate my interest in fashion and editorials with self-portraiture, which is the main focus of my practice.

What type(s) of photography do you specialise in, and why did you choose this niche?

During my time in university, I turned the camera on my friends, deepening my practice to not only encompass fashion and self-portraiture but also to investigate different sociological issues of class, familial structures and the establishment, with a focus on how they shape who we become and when we become.

Can you share the underlying themes or ideas that drive your photography? How do you use your images to connect with others?

A lot of my work is concerned with ideas of labour, class dynamics, blackness, Africanness, and self-determination - and how the interactions of these ideas inform how individuals not only build a sense of self but also influence how society orders itself.

What's the one achievement or moment in your photography career that you're most proud of?

One major achievement I'm quite proud of is my first solo exhibition “UNBECOMING”. With this body of work, I was very interested in how relationships between the owner class and the working class seep into other aspects of our everyday life. To probe this idea, I used identifiable figures prominent in the Zambian landscape.

Patrons within which we see the extremes in what it truly means to have to meet your needs but also make sacrifices and the implications on the individual and those around them.

This exhibition was my first time presenting my print work. These prints were reductions of photographs from my personal photography archive.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a photographer, and how did you overcome it?

Coming from a community where the arts weren't really a serious thing, many people struggled to understand why I was putting so much of my energy into something they only saw as a hobby. However, as time went on and I secured different opportunities-features, grants, residencies and so on, people began to understand me more.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?

Zanele Muholi is one person I would love to work with. “Somnyama Ngonyama” is one of my favourite photographic bodies of work. The artist interrogates issues of race, identity, and representation, issues I'm also grappling with in my own work. The way they use their body as a canvas is to communicate the multiplicity of these issues.

What are your thoughts on the 54Ruum platform?

Platforms like 54Ruum are important because they create a directory for photographers on the continent and expose them to audiences they wouldn't generally come across. It's also an opportunity for photographers' stories to be told from their own perspectives.

How's the photography and art space in your country: how has it evolved in recent years?

When I started practicing as a photographer, most of the work that was being platformed was highly produced commercial work, mostly weddings and events. That was the taste the general public had for photography.

Today there's a much larger appreciation for conceptual and fine art photography. In gallery spaces. We're seeing more photography exhibitions and even more photographers picking up their cameras to produce critically informed work.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting their photography journey, what would it be?

Just start. Sometimes we get too caught up in our head about how things should look or turn out, and it creates a block. Getting your teeth in creates a base that can be built upon.

What other community feature(s) or activity(ies) would you like to see?

I would love to see the work of Kalenga featured because he has such an interesting approach to street photography and selection of subject matter.