Here, we’ve rounded up a list of exhibitions and shows for you to enjoy in 2022. We will continue to add to this list as we move through 2022 towards 2023.
The Norval Foundation
Until 28 March 2022
The Zanzibari Years: Irma Stern
This is the first time in nearly 40 years that a body of these Zanzibari works, considered among her finest, are exhibited together.
This period of the artist’s work, frequently regarded as a high point of her painterly career, is the exclusive focus of the exhibition which has – in its presentation – been profoundly influenced by her book, Zanzibar. The book has informed not only the choice of works to be presented but also the selection of objects that provide the viewer with a glimpse into the island world where Irma lived and worked. This exhibition allows viewers to imagine with empathy the context that gave rise to some of her most distinctive works.
Irma Stern: The Zanzibari Years is curated by Karel Nel. For more info on the exhibitions currently on display at the Norval Foundation, visit norvalfoundation.org
KRONE X WHATIFTHEWORLD
Until 28 February 2022
40 artists under the age of 40
Featuring 60 works by 40 artists under the age of 40, this year’s KRONE X WHATIFTHEWORLD showcase is currently taking place at Twee Jonge Gezellen – the home of Krone Cap Classique – in Tulbagh. Definitely one of the unmissable cultural events of the summer, the exhibition represents a celebratory moment for contemporary art, drawing on young talent from across the African continent – and beyond.
For more information on the exhibition, visit whatiftheworld.com/krone
The Norval Foundation and Boschendal’s Collaborative Exhibition
Runs throughout the year
The partnership will see the establishment of a series of satellite art exhibitions hosted at Boschendal’s historic Manor House and surrounding grounds. Respected as one of the country’s oldest farms, with deep cultural and community roots stretching back to 1685, Boschendal’s collaboration with Norval further reflects the farm’s commitment to celebrating emerging creative talent through arts and culture.
Visitors will be welcomed by a contemporary collection of art that contrasts with the Manor House’s rich history, providing a nuanced experience for art lovers. The first year’s programming will be drawn from Norval Foundation’s Homestead Collection, which features artists from across Africa, but with a strong Southern Africa representation. Exhibitions will rotate every three to four months and admission is free.
Visual activist Zanele Muholi‘s ongoing photographic series Somnyama Ngonyama (‘Hail, the Dark Lioness’) is currently on view. Concurrent to the exhibition within, a series of sculptures will be on display in the grounds surrounding the Manor House, continuing the dialogue between past and present with work by Kyle Morland and two sculptures by Edoardo Villa on display.
For more information, visit boschendal.com
STEVENSON
12 February – 18 March 2022 (Johannesburg)
Monochrome Paintings by Zander Blom
Zander Blom’s tenth solo exhibition with STEVENSON Johannesburg, Monochrome Paintings, is a joyous return to abstraction; a self-described visual mellifluence of “gentle gradients, confident shapes, intricate details and ecstatic yet violent brushwork abound in waves of monochrome.”
For more information, visit stevenson.info.
Southern Guild
16 February – 7 April 2022
Transcending Instinct by Nandipha Mntambo
Southern Guild presents Transcending Instinct, an installation of large-scale seating objects and paintings by Nandipha Mntambo. The artist’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, Transcending Instinct also marks her first venture into functional sculpture.
A multidisciplinary artist who rose to prominence for her cowhide sculptures, Mntambo sees her oeuvre to date as a continuous and interconnected body of work. Collaborating with Southern Guild presented her with the opportunity to explore how key ideas, materials and forms from her archive could be applied to the creation of functional objects. “Lately, my interest lies in re-examining the concept of shape and forms and reflecting on my earlier sculpture and photography, using my current practice as a lens to look back,” says Mntambo.
For more information, visit southernguild.co.za
Salon Ninety One
16 February – 12 March
A Very Grand Tour by Jessica Bosworth Smith
A Very Grand Tour is a debut solo exhibition by Jessica Bosworth Smith. A Very Grand Tour centres around Jessica’s desire to teleport herself to new and wonderful places rather than to recapture the cities she has already visited. “I wanted to create parallel worlds which were reality-adjacent; interiors of impractical and fantastic hotels or apartments, lush pools, perfectly preserved collections of things, souvenirs, and dense, vibrant jungles. Through painting, I could circumvent the plane ticket and travel restrictions and use the pictorial plane to go elsewhere. A place where only I can go, which is mine alone, where there is no reality to compare it to, that tells me everything I need to know about myself,” Says Jessica.
For more information, visit salon91.co.za
Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2022
18-20 February 2022 at the CTICC
The annual Investec Cape Town Art Fair draws the best artists from different parts of the world and the ninth edition sees the return of the long-running programme with a special new addition. “We believe art can break down barriers and bring people together. So, we’re delighted to welcome back a face-to-face Fair, combined with the digital edition, which could bring the world of art to a potentially larger, more diverse audience.” said Peta Dixon, Investec’s head of Sponsorships.
The Investec Cape Town Art Fair runs from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 February 2022, 11am to 7pm, at the Cape Town International Conventional Centre (CTICC). Tickets are R130-R330 via Webtickets. For more information, visit investeccapetownartfair.co.za and follow the fair on Instagram @investeccapetownartfair.
Barnard Gallery
15 March – 26 April
Tom Cullberg: Local Stories
Tom Cullberg’s fascination with the formal appearance of things purposefully arranged on a shelf endures in his engrossing cabinet installations presented in his latest exhibition at the Barnard titled Local Stories.
Tom Cullberg: Local Stories opens on 15 March and runs until 26 April at the Barnard in Cape Town. A limited edition publication of the project has also been launched and will be available for purchase during the exhibition.
For more information, visit barnardgallery.com
Spier Light Art
18 March – 18 April 2022
The fourth and highly anticipated edition of the celebrated annual Spier Light Art will present an evocative world of light, sound and video art at the historic Stellenbosch Wine Farm. From 18 March to 18 April 2022, Spier Light Art will be accessible to the public and entry is free. The best time to visit is at dusk, when you can catch the beautiful sunset and witness the lights being turned on.
For more information, visit spier.co.za.
State of the Art Gallery
7 – 28 May 2022
Abstract*d
This exhibition presents the work of Balekane Legoabe, Odette Marais, Karla Nixon, Tanja Truscott and Shui-Lyn White, who share an interest in saying things that can’t necessarily be expressed in words.
For this exhibition five abstract artists were in visual conversation with one another. They ‘spoke’ to one another in images. A conversation without words about line, colour, texture, shape and light. Sometimes the conversation was direct, at other times quirky with humorous lateral jumps, but it always spoke about how they saw the world around them through the fundamentals of abstract art.
For more information, visit stateoftheart-gallery.com
Botho Project Space
20 May – 19 June
A PLACE CALLED HOME by Trevor Stuurman
Art curator Botho Project Space today presents its latest offering, A Place Called Home, showcasing the works of award-winning contemporary visual artist Trevor Stuurman.
Narrated through the lens of Trevor Stuurman, the exhibition is an expression of ‘home’, a concept very close to his heart. Evoking the nostalgic feeling of a loved one waking you up at the first light of dawn, dipping into a warm bath, scrubbing the weekend away and stepping out in your Sunday best.
Set in a home in Parktown West (26 Rhodes Avenue, Parktown, Johannesburg), the idea behind the exhibition is to re-create a space where people relive their own Sundays at home, the special memories and moments that make these days sacred in any South African home.
Trevor has collaborated with leading furniture and homeware retailer Weylandts to infuse the exhibition with authentic design, using many of the same pieces the artist has in his own home.
Buy tickets to the exhibition via plankton.mobi
