Colbert Mashile was born in 1972 in Bushbuckbrige, Mpumalanga. "I come from a place that is shrouded by powerful cultural norms and customs". Mashile comes from a family of teachers and was expected to join the family trend on completion of high school. While studying in Pretoria he became curious about the art that he saw in gallery windows on the streets of Pretoria. This led him to the Johannesburg Art Foundation and then to a degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2000. He has already established himself as South Africa’s most unique and exciting contemporary artists. He Currently works and lives in Johannesburg.