Where people,
place & culture
intersect
AnthroWorks is a cultural research practice and think tank based in South Africa. We study how people, places, and culture shape each other — through fieldwork, creative practice, and participatory methods.
Manifesto
AnthroWorks exists at the intersection of people, place, and practice.
We are a think tank and cultural research practice. We house research, creative ventures, and cultural projects — anything we believe contributes to a better understanding of how people and places shape each other.
Creativity is our research tool. Arts, fashion, design, and storytelling aren't just outputs — they're how we observe, question, and reimagine. Our practice is community-centred. Knowledge is built through participation, not extraction.
How We Work
Observation
We begin by paying attention. To landscapes, communities, systems, and the quiet forces that shape everyday life.
Participation
Knowledge is produced through engagement, not extraction. We collaborate with communities and share authorship.
Re-imagining
We use research and creativity to imagine how relationships between people, place, and nature might be reconfigured with care.
What Impact People Are Saying
Kganye, L. (n.d.) About Lebohang Kganye – visual artist and photographer. Available at: https://www.lebohangkganye.co.za/about (Accessed: 21 January 2026).
Lebohang Kganye’s work delves into the layers of memory and identity, weaving together personal and collective narratives within the post-apartheid South African context. Using photography and installation, she explores how family histories shape our understanding of ourselves. In AnthroWorks’ portfolio, Kganye represents the powerful intersection of lived experience and creative storytelling, showing how personal journeys can illuminate broader social and cultural landscapes.
Zanele Muholi, Bester I, Mayotte (from the series Somnyama Ngonyama), 2015. Black-and-white photograph.
Source: © Zanele Muholi. Image reproduced for academic and critical discussion.
Zanele Muholi invites us not just to look, but to participate in an ongoing conversation about visibility, responsibility, and care. Their self-portraits challenge and reclaim narratives of Black queer identity in South Africa, transforming the act of seeing into an act of solidarity.
Louw Kotzé has made a significant impact by positioning fashion as a form of cultural and spiritual inquiry rather than a purely commercial practice. His work challenges dominant Western fashion narratives by foregrounding African symbolism, ritual garments, and indigenous textile traditions as legitimate design languages.
Chad J. Payne
“It lies in the desire of wanting to know more from the Universe.”
Take a look at AnthroWorks PublicationsLatest Thinking
Follow on X →Feb 2026
Exploring how indigenous knowledge systems can inform contemporary design practice in South African academia. New research thread coming soon.
Jan 2026
The AnthroWorks Manifesto is live. A statement on why we exist, how we work, and what we believe cultural research can do.
Jan 2026
Crossroads of Creativity: our first major publication exploring art, identity, and culture across the Global South. Read now.
Get in Touch
Interested in working together, commissioning research, or collaborating on a project? We'd love to hear from you.