Best known for her digital portraits, South African-based Lethabo Huma poignantly examines the role of the self and introspection within the ethereal and iridescent landscape of The Self. With a dazzling array of saturated tones and vibrant pixels, the present work enthralls the viewer within the seemingly surreal space, encouraging one to contemplate their own existence and negotiation with the digital realm. Representing growth, the flowers spanning up the female figure’s back seem to blend into her body, becoming one with the self. Embodying and accepting truth and growth that is not always apparent to the self as we change and evolve, the mirrors stationed to either side of Huma confront her with every angle of the self. A visual diary reflecting both Huma’s continued negotiation with the realities of personal development and the digital art form, the present work embodies the stunning self-portraits and luscious landscapes that characterize Huma’s practice.

An intimate and vulnerable portrait, The Self illustrates Huma’s experience as an artist growing within the burgeoning art form of NFTs. The flowers begin to shed off her back and droop in parts cut from their stem, emphasizing the aspects of her artistic practice and self that have developed and evolved as she herself grew. Entering a field of heavenly upward spiraling tufts of grass, the dandelion-like flowers dotted around her seem poised to blow away, and there is a warm golden glow that creates a halo around Huma, basking her in light as she looks towards a broader understanding, inspired by the internal development that leads her. Placing herself as the main protagonist within this overgrown, enchanting scene, Huma comments on her visualization of the growing NFT landscape. As both model and creator, she enters into a dialogue between herself, her muses, and her artistic inspiration within the ever-expanding potential of digital art.