March 01, 2025 - April 10, 2025
Kgorong Building, 274 Preller St, Muckleneuk, Pretoria, 0002
Introspect II is a celebration of a decade of practice by Thonton Kabeya and his presence in South Africa, It is a reflective journey of artmaking, resilience, storytelling, and innovation evident of Kabeya's exploration of both the technical and conceptual transformations of materials, predominantly his sculpting of canvas.
The exhibition is a retrospective highlight of Kabeya’s mastery of the sculpted canvas, a signature technique where he merges the sculptural with the painterly, blurring the boundaries between form, shape, and color. The tactile quality of his layered compositions resonates with the textured complexity of contemporary urban life, where his use of a soft palette comprised of pinks, warm yellows, and tender narratives forms a compelling juxtaposition against the rawness expressed in the embodiment of the materiality.
Through his work, Kabeya explores the social dynamics of an ever-evolving cosmopolitan landscape. His practice invites viewers to consider reflections of decay, disruption, and everyday living whilst we attempt to reconfigure our understanding of identity and belonging. By engaging with themes of memory, migration, and materiality, he constructs a dialogue that is deeply personal yet universally resonant.
This exhibition, Introspect II, further interrogates the role of contemporary art in preserving cultural memory and shaping the future of African artistic heritage. The Sanaa (Swahili for art) collection stands as a physical testament to the love that Kabeya has for the future of art in Africa as it is a collection established and developed solely for the purpose of safe -keeping African artifacts in Africa for Africans.
Presented at the Unisa Art Gallery, Introspect II aligns with Unisa’s Pan-African agenda of inclusivity and continental connection. The exhibition foregrounds the importance of African artistic voices in shaping a collective cultural consciousness and underscores the necessity of creating spaces where contemporary African art can be both critically engaged with and preserved for future generations.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF EXHIBITION (Click to view)