Qondiswa James

Qondiswa James

Qondiswa James is a freelance cultural worker living in Johannesburg. She is an award-winning writer, performer and theatre-maker, performance and installation artist, arts facilitator and activist. Her work engages the socio-political imagination towards mobilising transgression.

She has staged public art interventions at Infecting the City, Live Arts Festival, FNB Art Joburg, Centre for the Less Good Idea, Les Rencontres a L'échelle (France), Arcade (Makhanda), Live Art Network Africa, AiiA Festival (Switzerland), Suidoosterfees, and A4 Arts Centre (China). Her installation work has been exhibited at Spier Light Art Festival and the Stellenbosch Triennale. Her onscreen appearances include High Fantasy (DIFF 2018 Best South African Film Award, Artistic Bravery Award), and Letters from the Continent (Holland Film Festival 2021). In 2022/23 she was a resident artist at AiiA Lab (Switzerland), where she developed a new solo, What He Has Done.

She has directed theatre works including A Faint Patch of Light (winner of a 2019 Standard Bank Ovation Award); her original play A HOWL IN MAKHANDA (Fleur du Cap Award 2022 Best New Script, Best Original Composition); and an original solo work, Retch (Naledi Award 2024 Best Performer on the Fringe). Earlier in 2024 she was part of the On Air radio drama residency (Centre for the Less Good Idea) where she wrote and directed Emalahleni. Most recently she has staged a new play, Amaxelegu, at Market Theatre under their play development programme.