ART EXHIBITIONS

Charity Vilakazi’s Alikho izulu? (Is there no heaven?) conducts an exploration into the complexities of grief and connection, stemming from the profound impact Vilakazi’s grandmother’s passing had on her. Her adoration for her Mtshuku (grandmother) is clear throughout this series. Through paintings and personal reflections, she reveals how discovering her old diary entries journaling this moment awakened memories and emotions long since dormant. The introspective journey in Alikho izulu? uncovers a new spiritual connection Vilakazi feels towards her Mtshuku, bridging the gap between memory, imagination, and dreams. The vibrant dreamscapes of her paintings invite viewers into a realm where Vilakazi’s childhood stories (as told by Mtshuku) and ancestral spirits intertwine. By capturing both the essence of her dreams and the wisdom passed down by her grandmothers, this body of work allows Vilakazi to transform grief into a celebration of spiritual reunion. (Pictured: Artwork by Charity Vilakazi.)

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Meet the Artist on 11 July 3pm or 13 July 12pm event. BOOK HERE

Muhwalo (The Load)  is a collection of works by Simon Moshapo Jnr that aims to unpack the burdens carried by individuals in their daily lives. Moshapo incorporates painted surfaces into his hand-carved sculptures, his selected colour palette, and his stylistic figuration both conveying a sense of innocence in his subject - this reflects Moshapo’s views on ‘ordinary people.’ This exhibition is comprised of two main series of works: yotuwa na vhafiyo; which conducts an inquiry to uncover a lost Vhavenda drum, the ngoma, and Mukapi wa tshisima; which prompts an examination of the consequences of leaders failing to fulfill their responsibilities. yotuwa na vhafiyo serves as a symbol of Moshapo’s journey to reclaim his cultural heritage by consulting with his elders and incorporating Venda proverbs, morals, and values into his life. Mukapi wa tshisima prompts reflection upon the effect unfulfilled promises by leaders (whether traditional, political, or religious) have on the people who elect leaders, therefore underscoring the interconnectedness of leaders and their constituents and highlighting the need for accountability and responsibility in leadership. (Pictured: Artwork by Simon Moshapo Jnr.) 

Iyabulela Ilali (The Village is Grateful)  presents works by Songezo Zantsi dealing with concepts of our relationship with animals and nature, presented through a distinctly culturally South African lens. Zantsi is a Cape Town-based artist who grew up in Alice, a historically significant town in the Eastern Cape. His work on show is a triptych of oil paintings depicting a wedding in the Transkei that Zantsi attended. All three paintings feature men riding or guiding horses, highlighting the relationship between humans and animals in South African art history. (Pictured: Sifikile, 2024, Oil on Canvas, 128 x 155cm.)

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Meet the Artist or join guided walking tours. Book here.

EBONY/CURATED champions young artists whose artistic practices are thought-provoking or challenge social norms. …as we see it serves as a group showcase for emerging artists to explore social themes and community issues through the lens of a South Africa only 30 years into democracy. Through various subthemes, encompassing musings on our symbiotic relationship with land and our duty to protect it, the deep emotional we feel towards our communities, the meeting of emotional and physical landscapes, the idea of transcending individualism, and measured critique on liberation movement’s ideas of ‘shared identity’, …as we see it presents an exhibition where artists examine relationships with nature, community, and identity. The artists featured are Thando Phenyane, Hanna Noor Mahomed, Raymond Fuyana, Sechaba Hoha, Blessing Rooi, Feni Chulumanco, Rentia Retief, Abongile Sidzumo, Aviwe Plaatjie, Balekane Legoabe, Liam Van Der Heever and Lindisipho Gulwa. (Pictured: Kamohelo Blessing Rooi - Days of our Lives, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas, 50 x 40cm.) 

Meet Thando Phenyane at the Meet the Artist event on 11  or 20 July. Book Here.

With Nando's continued support, Spier Arts Trust has been helping artists develop their careers for the past two decades, forming close relationships with many artists involved. This has fostered a community of artists who share with, learn from, and encourage each other,  which has evolved over the years through the common ground of Spier Arts Trust's Creative Block programme. Homecoming spotlights 20 Cape Town-based artists who have reached mid-career status, all of whom form part of the Creative Block community. Each artist will present a work from their time at Creative Block, showcasing both the artist's development and allowing young art collectors an opportunity to own work by established artists. The artists participating in Homecoming are as follows: Barbara Wildenboer, Elize Vossgatter, Elsabe Milandri, Henk Serfontein, Khaya Sineyile, Kilmany-Jo Liversage, Lindile Magunya, Liza Grobler, Marlise Keith, Nomthunzi Mashalaba, Norman O'Flynn, Patrick Bongoy, Ricky Dyaloyi, Selvin November, Shakes Tembani, Swain Hoogervorst, Tafadzwa Tega, Timothy Zantsi, Wonder Marthinus and Zemba Luzamba. (Pictured: Elize Vossgatter - The Abominable Mystery II, 2021, Beeswax and Pigment, 180 x 180cm.)

In a world where art censorship is increasingly prevalent, Sisonke Gallery, in collaboration with House Union Block, showcases work from 25 artists in their Creative Block Programme to turn the spotlight on art censorship. Citing overtly sexual themes, perceived political incorrectness, or violence among other themes, these themes are typically deemed inappropriate for display in public spaces. Committed to championing artist's authentic expression, Unfiltered aims to give a voice to silenced opinions. Sisonke Gallery believes artists play a crucial role in challenging power and speaking out against oppression, quoting Dashka Slater that they have the power of “being canaries in the coal mine…[having} a special role to play in sounding the alarm and pushing back against the forces that want to make us be (sic) quiet.”   The artists featured in Unfiltered are as follows: Adrian Owen, Anthony Charles Morton, Effo Munguanzo,  Ernest Fulani, Katherine Bull, Kufa Makwavarara, Ley Mboramwe Makakele, Lionel Tazvitya Mbayiwa, Lindile Magunya, Makhosandile Mbuku, Nkoali Nawa, Paul Painting, Ronald Muchatuta, Sandile Ashabangane Mhlongo, Sifiso Temba, Tharien Smith, Timothy Zantsi, Xolile Mtakatya, Zolani Siphungela, Wonder Marthinus, John Dickin, Lindani Nyandeni, Madeleine van Manen, Ronald Muchatuta and Fikile Mqhayi. (Pictured: Artwork by Lindile Magunya, Mixed Media, 30 x 20cm.)

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Salon Sequins represents a collaboration between Salon Kewpie and Sequins, Self, and Struggle.

Salon Kewpie is a collective whose work centres on the Kewpie Collection: an important archival resource documenting life under apartheid for the gays and girls of District Six, held at the GALA Queer Archive. The Sequins, Self, and Struggle archive, held at UCT’s Centre for Curating the Archive, researches, documents, and disseminates archives of the Spring Queen and Miss Gay Western Cape pageants performed by disparate coloured communities in greater Cape Town. This exhibition draws on materials from the Miss Gay Western Cape collection in particular, connected across time to the Kewpie Collection by the resilient spirit of gay, queer and trans self expression.

Both projects are joined by a deep investment in archiving local local LGBTQIA+ histories. Salon Kewpie is galvanised by Kewpie’s actions as a visionary archivist of herself and her community and by the ever-growing public excitement about the incredible archive that she has left us with. With the aim of contributing to the continued circulation and expansion of this historically significant archive, Salon Kewpie has, since 2021, documented their public and educational programming that aims to celebrate Kewpie’s vital legacy and make it more accessible to a wider audience.

Salon Sequins will publicly exhibit Salon Kewpie’s ever-expanding archive for the first time, alongside materials from the Kewpie Collection itself as well as the Miss Gay Western Cape collection in the Sequins, Self, and Struggle archive, putting these resources in conversation in search of common ground. 

On 18 July, the exhibition opening event will run from 6–8pm, and will be on show every week day 12 July-23 August, 10am–3pm. (Image courtesy of Michaelis Galleries.)

Nina Kruger is a Stellenbosch-based contemporary artist, with a background in the commercial textile industry and a Master's degree specializing in fibre and textile art. Kruger uses textile arts to explore the connections between humans, animals, plants, and environments. She uses collected organic fibres and materials and then creates her works using self-taught techniques of threading and felting. Through her pieces, Kruger also examines theories of post-humanism, which explores the idea that the boundaries between humans, animals, technology, and the environment are fluid.  New materialism is another one of her interests, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things. In this way, Kruger's Infinite Threads teases out the tensions between humans, nature, and technology that are playing out in the rise of climate change, one of the ideas informing the Common Ground theme underpinning this year's festival. (Pictured: Image by Nina Kruger)

Meet the Artists or during the guided walking tours. Book here.

In this exhibition, Milli Yao (Their Bodies), Sarafina Naisula focuses on women's bodies in their multiplicity and as a united 'whole'. Her interest is to blur the nuanced differences between female bodies and explore how women can collectively overcome objectification by treating one another as sisters, mothers, and members of the same community. The artist believes that if women can come together, and find strength in numbers, they can help overcome gender-based violence. These ideas are communicated through a series of collages of various female bodies that are grouped together to form this veritable united front. (Pictured: Duara, 2022.)

WORLDART presents SCAR; an exhibition of three artists; Dion Cupido, Norman O’Flynn, and Kilmany-Jo Liversage, all of whom’s work shares a common theme - the impact of the environment on the human individual. Cupido examines the metaphorical scars left by social challenges the subjects of his portraits face on the Cape Flats. O’Flynn unpacks the insecurities created and experienced by a tech-driven, depersonalised modern world, using pop culture motifs to both illustrate his point and intrigue the viewer. Liversage interrogates the experiences of a woman in a world still plagued by gender inequality, the male gaze, and gender based violence. Ultimately, SCAR serves to hold a mirror to modern day urban techno-cultural landscapes, eliciting the viewer to examine the ways in which their own place within this landscape has been affected by these influences. (Pictured: Kilmany-Jo Liversage - ATMA923, 120 x 120cm.)

In The Repenters, Hasan and Husain Essop explore the concept of masks, both as objects and actions. Masks are seen as much more than simply disguises; they symbolize a psychology of hiding and becoming, and the supernatural, particularly evident in African masks. The Essops' statement unpacks the powerful dynamics associated with wearing masks, emphasizing that not everyone has equal entitlement to wear them. Their works challenge the assumptions about who can wear certain masks, highlighting issues of race, gender, cultural appropriation and islamophobia. Through viewing their works, the Essops prompt viewers to critically reflect on the inclusivity of popular cultural symbols and their impact on diverse communities, suggesting a need for a more empathetic and inclusive perspective. (Pictured: Saudiman, 2017, Lightjet C-print on Archival Paper, 160.5 x 110.5 x 3.5cm.)

Drawing-in-Desire: Art as Life / Life as Art; The Theatre of Process is an installation where artist Sue Pam-Grant, immerses in her artmaking in situ at the Iziko South African National Gallery. This immersive installation forms the backdrop for her acclaimed theatre piece why do moths fly like crazy fucks in the night?; an exploration of the creative journey of a female artist loosely inspired by Louise Bourgeois, Drawing-in-Desire...is a representation of her studio, exposing the intense and fertile space of artistic creation. Visitors are invited to witness "the alchemy of the creative impulse" firsthand when they step into the artist's world.

The Artist will be Present.

Sue Pam-Grant's performance of why do moths fly like crazy fucks in the night? is on Saturday 13 and 20 July at 15:00. Book here.

ISILIMELA: PLANTING OF A NEW MAN is a series of self-portraits by Baz Bailey, a transgenderXhosa man which both documents and conducts an exploration into his birthright to uLwaluko (an initiation rite of passage from boyhood to manhood.) These portraits reinterpret sacred uLwaluko milestones as personal experiences of physical and emotional transformation. They evoke a dream-like atmosphere, blurring the lines between reality and the realm of ancestral planes as Bailey seeks to transverse the lands his ancestors once walked. These portraits symbolise the planting of new seeds in both land and self-hood. The transitions to manhood;

Izilimela (the plural of Isilimela), which is not measured by birth years but by the initiation into uLwaluko, parallels the transgender experience of transformation. Each step into manhood, including Hormone Replacement Therapy and plans for gender-affirming surgeries, signifies a covenant with self, God, land, ancestors, and kin. (Image: Ndoda and Child, 2022, photograph on archival paper, 91 x 124 x 3.3cm.)

"Black feminism is distinctive in its commitment to love as a political practice." – Nash, J: Love in the time of death

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Buqaqawuli Thamani Nobakada is an emerging contemporary mixed-media artist who draws from her academic background in architecture in her intricate painting installations. Her primary medium is acrylic on hand-prepared laced paper, often incorporating custom clay or gold jewellery. Nobakada's work celebrates black opulence and luxury, portraying black female subjects in moments of domestic abundance and non-sexual intimacy. She creates delicate environments for these protagonists, designed to affirm the beauty and gentleness she sees in

herself and project these feelings towards viewers. This is particularly evident in her Les Demoiselles works. Nobakada's paintings challenge traditional and modern notions of beauty in a postcolonial context, affirming and redefining what it means to be beautiful while promoting her subjects "complex personhoods" and rich interior lives. (Image: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 2024, Acrylic on hand-prepared lace paper, 142.5 x 133cm.)

 Mavambo (The Beginning/Start) is an apt title for the inaugural exhibition at this new Cape Town gallery. This art dealer, as the name of the gallery suggests, is focussed on supporting Zimbabwean-born artists. In line with this, this group exhibition features art by Farai Englebrecht, Tafadzwa Gwetai, Anusa Salanje, Sindiso Nyoni, Nicky Mariga, Richard Mudariki, Mostaff Muchawaya and Dan Halter. The selection of works will entreat audiences to embark on a transformative journey through artistic expressions, exploring ideas and narratives by young and emerging contemporary artists from Zimbabwe and its diaspora. Through a diverse array of mediums and perspectives, this exhibition illuminates the profound complexity and ideas inherent to art by those from South Africa's neighbour. Mavambo presents various beginnings, the powerful force propelling ideas into art, and the endless opportunities that arise as we move into the future.

Indlela ibuzwa kwaba phambili. (“Direction is sought from those who have come before (are ahead.)”)

iSenzo Sak'dala (An Ancient Act) presents an examination of the relationships different cultures have to material, whether natural or processed, exploring ways in which people interact with one another and the environment. This also raises how physical space can be demarcated and defined. Featuring contemporary artists who rely on age-old materials to create, iSenzo Sak'dala acknowledges the evolution of our relationships with these materials. Ultimately, iSenzo Sak'dala presents contemporary interpretations of materials historically used for making in Southern Africa. This exhibition is curated by Lebo Kekana; director of FEDE Arthouse, and produced in collaboration with RESERVOIR. The artists featured are: Lebo Kekana, Dada Khanyisa, Thami Kiti, Bulumko Mbete, Treasure Mlima, Seretse Moletsane, Luis Santos, Atang Tshikare, and Ben Stanwix & Xhanti Zwelendaba. (Pictured: Artwork by Luis Santos.) 

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Meet the Artists or during the guided walking tours. Book here.