Stellenbosch Triennale recently announced the first 20 participating artists for its inaugural edition, taking place from 11 February to 30 April 2020 at destinations in Stellenbosch.
The curator’s exhibition curated by chief curator Khanyisile Mbongwa with two Triennale curators Bernard Akoi-Jackson and Nontobeko Ntombela draws on the Triennale’s overarching theme “Tomorrow There will Be More of Us”.
The exhibition will present contemporary art from Africa in a critical dialogue with the society that fosters and exhibits it.
The list of African artists selected by Mbongwa and her co-curators informs the major theme. Artists are set to present works that investigate the possibility of healing through engaging with a divided past, the collective present and imagined futures.
Responding to the nature of the collective destined for the curator’s exhibition, Mbongwa says: “African creatives confront us with what is possible for a renewal to happen, using art as a lens, a course correction, a stimulus for curiosity and imagination.
“Through the Triennale we bring work from the continent to the southernmost tip as an intersection of time – where the past, present and future are in dialogue.”
All Triennale artists are of international standing, the exhibition representing a body of inspiring talent, artists whose works are now found in museums internationally, curated into biennials, and are housed in important private collections around the world.
Artists in the official selection of the Stellenbosch Triennale 2020, entitled “Tomorrow There will be More of Us”, are Bronwyn Katz (South Africa), Donna Kukama (South Africa), Euridice Kala (Mozambique), Hellen Nabukenya (Uganda), Ibrahim Mahama, (Ghana), Igshaan Adams (South Africa), Kaloki Nyamai (Kenya), Kelvin Haizel (Ghana), Kivu Ruhorahoza (Rwanda), Mongezi Ncaphayi (South Africa), Nástio Mosquito (Angola), Patrick Bongoy (DR Congo), Reshma Chhiba (South Africa) and Ronald Muchatuta (Zimbabwe).
Also to be exhibited are the works of Sethembile Msezane (South Africa), Stacey Gillian Abe (Uganda), Tracey Naa Koshie Thompson (Ghana), Victor Ehikhamenor (Nigeria), Wura-Natasha Ogunji (Nigeria) and Zyma Amien (South Africa).
The curator’s exhibition, which will be housed at The Woodmill and surrounding precincts, will provide a gateway to the other platforms of the Triennale.
The Stellenbosch Triennale is set to offer a collective example of contemporary African art representing individuals from the continent who are also at the forefront of contemporary art globally.
