Dr Mayuri Jugmohan
Tshwane University of Technology
Reimagining masculinity through art: Exploring positive masculinity as resistance to gender-based violence in South Africa
ABSTRACT
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains critically high in South Africa despite legal interventions, with toxic masculinity as a key driver. This study examines how contemporary South African art portrays positive masculinity—defined as emotional vulnerability, empathy, and non-violent conflict resolution—as cultural resistance to GBV.
Using feminist visual culture theory and semiotic analysis, this research examines selected works by South African artists Mzoxolo Mayongo, Loyiso Mkize, and Lindiwe Mayisela, chosen for their explicit engagement with masculinity themes across diverse media.
Analysis reveals recurring themes of soft masculinity, emotional openness, and resistance to dominant gender norms.
These artworks function as counter-narratives that normalize alternative masculine identities. The study proposes integrating arts-based methods into GBV prevention through community workshops, museum partnerships, and visual literacy campaigns.
Findings highlight art's potential for cultural change around masculinity by providing accessible alternatives to toxic masculine ideals, contributing practical strategies for leveraging cultural production in GBV prevention efforts.
BIOGRAPHY
Mayuri Jugmohan holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Genetics, a Master’s in Biochemistry, and a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Arts and Design at the Tshwane University of Technology, where her work focuses on gender-based violence (GBV), artivism, and the cultural politics of positive masculinity.
Although trained in the molecular sciences, Mayuri’s transition into the arts is grounded in a deep curiosity about systems, both biological and social, and how they break down or mutate under pressure.
Her interdisciplinary approach blends analytical precision with creative inquiry, drawing on both empirical and interpretive methods. By tracing the symbolic and emotional structures underpinning GBV, Mayuri’s research opens up new ways of thinking about cultural healing, embodiment, and resistance through visual art.
Her work reflects a rare synthesis of scientific rigour and artistic sensitivity, proof that the boundaries between disciplines are as porous as the cells she once studied.