Leila Rose Fanner

Leila Rose Fanner is a painter and illustrator whose work offers both joyful escapism and a deeply personal reflection on identity, memory, and belonging. Born in California and raised in the small town of Pilgrim’s Rest, South Africa, Leila grew up immersed in nature, nourished by her mother’s organic garden and the wild beauty of the surrounding mountains. From a young age, creativity pulsed through her life – despite an early vow not to follow in the financially precarious footsteps of her mother, a gifted yet struggling artist.

That vow, however, proved no match for Leila’s innate calling. She began making and selling crafts at the age of ten – papier-mâché animals, rag dolls, Barbie outfits – delighting not only in their creation but in presenting them as tiny, frame-worthy artworks. Her passion for art never left her, even as she experimented with fashion and form in her youth, turning everyday materials into self-expression.

Leila’s artistic practice is intuitive and luminous, what she describes as “riding a wave of light, colour, and sound.” Her work – both figurative and abstract – often includes silhouetted forms, vivid South African flora, intricate patterning, and folkloric motifs. The result is an exploration of the soul’s journey through the physical world, radiating themes of joy, love, resilience, and spiritual presence.

Trained at the Johannesburg National School of the Arts, Leila later studied graphic design and watercolour before holding her first solo exhibition in 1993. Today, she is a recognised voice in South Africa’s contemporary art scene. Her work has been featured in seven solo exhibitions nationally – including four headline shows at Solo Studios: Art Town in Riebeek Kasteel, where she now lives and works – and internationally in Los Angeles at Band of Vices Gallery, as well as the Harlem Fine Arts Show in New York (2018, 2021).

Her art has appeared in Harlem Fine Arts Magazine, SA Art Times, and more, and was awarded Highly Commended in the UK’s 2018 Rise Art Prize, juried by Gavin Turk, Fiona Banner, and David Bailey. She is also engaged internationally as an illustrator: currently under contract with Chronicle Books, San Francisco (USA) to create the full illustration and cover art for an anthology of Black American poets to be published in 2026. In addition, she has provided cover art for three published works: Monster, a poetic retelling of Saartjie Baartman’s story by Dzifa Benson (Bloodaxe Books, UK, 2024); Selvbiogravien Om Min Mor by Jamaica Kincaid (JP/Politikens Publishing House, Denmark, 2024); and Zone 3, a literary journal by Austin Peay State University (USA, 2021).

Fanner’s paintings are held in collections across the globe.

In Cape Town, she is proudly represented by The Artists Gallery.