Hafiza _Asmal _Valodia

Hafiza Asmal (b. 1993, Johannesburg) is a daughter, sister, wife, mother & friend. South African Sign Language as her home tongue, instills a unique sensibility and approach in her practice. Working in Writing, Performance and Sculpture. She explores Printmaking & Painting in varying projects. Her mediums are not limited to categories as her work often hybridizes forms and complicates them. She describes her practice as "a CODA navigating the world of Code..." as she questions how a shapeshifter discovers an identity.

She majored in Linguistics, Psychology and South African Sign Language at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa , where she also completed a bachelor’s of a Professional Fine Art degree. She holds her Masters of Art in Public Spheres at EDHEA in Switzerland and has graduated her academic endeavour with distinction. She has been awarded the Anya Millman award, the WYSS award, and the Ville de Sierre Prix.

Hafiza lectures sessionally at WITS. Involved in CII Art for Gold, as a jury member on the panel of judges for the competition.

Hafiza has been awarded the Young Womxn Studio Bursary [2024-2025] at The Bag Factory Artist Studios in Johannesburg.

& Her public intervention artworks are currently showing in Valais, Switzerland.

She has featured work in past expositions at MoMo gallery, TMRW gallery, SculptX at Melrose gallery, Latitudes art fair, MMArthouse and Kampala Biennale, she has produced work at the Furka Institute on residency and performed at Museums in Basel, Bern, Zurich, Geneva, Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest. She was recently featured at the Kaliwungo performance festival in Java, Indonesia.