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About Brenton

Brenton Sizwe Zola is a first-generation interdisciplinary artist, writer and researcher. Informed by his experiences of childhood homelessness, of global travel and of a lineage of African spiritual leaders, his work examines themes of myth, spirit and sanctity. He often invites viewers and participants into deep spaces of vulnerability to remove their masks. His interdisciplinary and performance work has been featured at the United Nations, Norman Rockwell Museum, Denver Art Museum, College of Extraordinary Experiences, Palos Verdes Art Center and many others.
His writing — often at the intersection of history, social theory, labor and collective memory — has appeared in Newsweek, INC, American Theater, Boulevard Magazine, Prism and NPR member-station WBUR Boston, among others.
Brenton was an inaugural LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Member, an inaugural Playwright Fellow at Denver Center for the Performing Arts, served as a curator for the Tilt West arts journal and is a current fellow in School of the Arts and Architecture at UCLA

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“I come from a long line of Congolese leaders. My great grandfather, Charles Kisolokele, was the first person named to Patrice Lumumba’s free government. His father, Simon Kimbangu, led Africa’s most successful anti-colonial spiritual movement, now followed by millions. And further up the line is Kimpa Vita, the mother of African democracy, burned at the stake. I feel a responsibility to hold a mirror to the village, to lead with love and care, and to shine the light of truth.”