Navel Seakamela is a rising star in the South African art scene. Presented for the first time in France by Bonne Espérance Gallery, his work explores wide-ranging themes of gender roles, toxic masculinity, fear, strength, the importance of belonging and the beauty of black bodies. Born in 1991 and based in Johannesburg, Navel Seakamela is one to watch. Navel plays with perceptions of blackness. Blackness exaggerated, oversized red lips and the deep black of charcoal extracted from racist and conflicting representations reveal softness, love and the sensuality of the body. In Navel’s words, “people are flowers.”