Exhibition openings and events (Thu, Mar 20 – Thu, Apr 3)

Closing soon

Until Mon, Mar 31 – Thokoza-based photography initiative Of Soul and Joy presents a group exhibition, I Put My Hand On My Chest To Feel My Heartbeat, at Constitution Hill. It's a chance to see work by 16 of the programme's current and former students, who share their views on life in Thokoza – from personal narratives to community stories. 

Until Mon, Mar 31 – What does it mean to be 'born free' in South Africa? Dutch photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien's solo exhibition Born Free: Generation of Hope at the Apartheid Museum is a visual narrative of the past three decades in South Africa, since the dawn of our democracy in 1994. Through Njiokiktjien's lens, we encounter an intimate portrayal of the first generation to grow up after apartheid rule. It's a poignant body of work that delves into the promise of a "rainbow nation", dealing equally with hope and disillusionment.

Until Fri, Mar 28 – Khanya Mthethwa celebrates South Africa's cultural history in a solo exhibition at the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) FADA Gallery, Abantu: Threads That Bind Us. In this showcase, Mthethwa bridges the past and present – exploring heritage and identity across two levels. The ground floor contains archival materials such as beaded artifacts and embroidered pictures of cultural leaders, while the upper level is for contemporary works, featuring present-day art jewellery to re-staged traditional portraits. "This [exhibition] will offer a reverent encounter with the legacies that have shaped South Africa’s indigenous identity," says  Mthethwa.

More art highlights

Until Sun, Apr 6 – Two group exhibitions curated by Kamogelo Walaza show at Berman Contemporary, on the top floor of 223 Creative Hub. Through Form and Meaning invites us to consider the materiality of art not as static, but as a "living extension of the human condition" through a fascinating series of highly tactile works. Meanwhile, Ke Rona (derived from the Sesotho word for 'we are') looks at Afro-surrealism through the medium of photography – comprising a collection of staged and unstaged photographs that tread the line between truth and suggestion.

Until Thu, Apr 17 – We loved seeing Esther Mahlangu's major retrospective Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting at Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town. The solo is now at Wits Art Museum (WAM) for an extended run. Thanks to her marvellous skill and ability to carry her heritage and culture forward, Mahlangu is an icon in the local art world. She has been painting since the age of 10, learning from her mother, grandmother, and other women in her hometown of Mthambothini village in Mpumalanga. Colourful and geometric, her work honours the symbolic and visual language of traditional Ndebele art. Mahlangu celebrated her 89th birthday on Nov 11, 2024. Her retrospective exhibition is a survey of her wide-ranging and in-depth work over the years. 

Until Sat, Apr 26 – Maja Maljević's playful solo exhibition Showtime is on at David Krut's The Blue House gallery. "This exhibition functions like a theatrical performance on paper, where each scene engages the viewer with unfolding drama, filled with lightness, humour, and perhaps even a touch of nostalgia for childhood worlds of make-believe," reads the curatorial statement.

Until Sat, Apr 26 – "In the vast expanse of the universe, there are threads that bind us to one another, to our pasts, and to the unknown," reads the exhibition text for Between Us and the Stars – a group show at BKhz Gallery. This exhibition goes far out, exploring the hidden connections that intertwine our lives with the cosmos. Olivia Pintér, Mankebe Seakgoe, Zakes Mda, Katlego Tlabela, and Banele Khoza are a few of the participating artists. "Through their work, we are invited to reflect on how we are bound not only to each other but to the world around us – seen and unseen, tangible and ethereal."

Until Wed, Apr 30 – The group exhibition Fractured Foundations: Reimagining Resilience at Guns & Rain gallery features eight artists from South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, including Nathan Vuuren, Bev Butkow, and Adrian Fortuin. "In an era where the structures that once shaped our collective existence – government, religion, and cultural conventions – are fracturing under the weight of their contradictions, we are navigating unchartered territories," reads the curatorial statement. "[This exhibition] explores the aftermath of systemic collapse, not as a site of despair but as fertile ground for renewal and adaptation." 

Until Fri, May 9 – Think you know everything about paper? Get ready to rethink this medium and its myriad art applications at a fascinating showcase at Wits Art Museum's (WAM) Jack Ginsberg Centre for the Book Arts. Divided into four sections, the Paper exhibition explores book art and the art of paper-making from various perspectives. From ancient scrolls to water-marking, folding, cutting, and marbling, here you will find beautiful pop-up books, some of the finest Japanese paper, William Kentridge's Sheets of Evidence, and a rare collection of handmade books that were crafted by the artists from beginning to end.

Until Fri, Jun 6 – Over 40 artists explore the skateboard deck as their canvas in the group exhibition, Motion and Expression: The Space In Between, at Origin Art at Keyes Art Mile. The gallery worked with Crispy Skateboards to bring this unusual show to fruition; a Joburg-based father and sons company known for bespoke decks and cool artist collabs. "Skateboarding is a language of motion – an act of balance, defiance, and improvisation. It is a culture built on self-expression, where style is everything, and creativity flourishes in the most unexpected spaces," reads the exhibition statement. Motion and Expression features wide-ranging artistic voices, styles, and mediums, from graffiti to mixed media, fine art, and graphic design.

Until end Jul 2025 – What do you get following an intense artistic engagement with a scientific subject – the 2.5–2.8-million-year-old Taung skull, which was discovered in 1924? Joni Brenner's solo exhibition at Origins Centre, Impact, encapsulates her long-term creative reckoning with the child's skull, broadly exploring themes of "fragility and survival, destruction and creation, uncertainty, loss, pressure, and chance". Unusual, poignant and thought-provoking are a few more words that come to mind when describing Brenner's response to this ancient piece of the story of human evolution.

Save the date

Fri, May 23 – Sun, May 25 – A destination event, RMB Latitudes art fair returns to the whimsical Shepstone Gardens in Mountain View. The lavish, terraced gardens and intricate buildings provide a fabulous backdrop for art, while the property’s many layers make visiting feel like a treasure hunt. This three-day event features art fair booths from leading galleries and unique exhibition spaces designed by curators and artists. Delicious food stalls, bespoke treats, local wines, and fashion complete the offering. Judging by how quickly tickets sold out last year, you’ll want to snap yours up soon to avoid disappointment. Book here. 

Wondering what else to do this week? Read our weekly events guide here. For our latest updates, follow us on Instagram.