Notable art this November

iMvelaphi and These Four Walls — Southern Guild Cape Town

SA ceramic artist Chuma Maweni has pioneered the translation of Xhosa pottery traditions into contemporary collectible design, evolving new typologies of form and applications of scale that are entirely distinct.

For his first solo exhibition iMvelaphi, he presents the largest collection of handcrafted furniture, lighting and vessels to date. The body of work meditates on Maweni’s familial and cultural origins, drawing links between the cyclical expansion of life and the spiritual symbol at the heart of his own studio practice.

Nigerian painter Ayotunde Ojo showcases a new series of mixed media figurative paintings that move between the idea of consciousness and unconsciousness, exploring the liminal qualities of memory and space, dreaming and waking. Rooted in the familiar context of domestic life, Ojo’s paintings expand into emotional and imaginative realms, exploring how these transient moments shape perceptions. This will be the artist’s debut solo exhibition and has its roots in works he completed at Southern Guild’s Guild Residency in Cape Town earlier this year.

• Both exhibitions open on November 14 and run until February 28. The gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5.30pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

Side Quest — Berman Contemporary SA All Women Art

Odette Graskie’s Side Quest showcases a visual narrative of her natural gravitation towards human connection, play, poetry and curiosity. Layered with an obsessiveness in exploring mediums through portraiture, in this reflective method of making Graskie shifts towards her own curiosity about her practice (currently and as far as her childhood) as the driving force. The exhibition is curated by Shenaz Mahomed.

• The exhibition is on until January 26. The gallery is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm and Saturday from 9am to4.30pm.

Monochrome III: Thank you Gravity — Stevenson Johannesburg

This is the third instalment of artist Zander Blom’s Monochrome Paintings. With this part of the series, he explores gravity in painting, considering the weight or mass of shapes, how they sit on top of one another and how they weigh on or support one another. The body of work is also inspired by a connection with a group of students in Hong Kong, which encouraged him to work differently from how he has before.

• The exhibition is on until December 13. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 1pm. Monday by appointment.

What the Light Falls On — Stevenson Cape Town

What the Light Falls On is a solo exhibition by photographer Pieter Hugo. It comprises more than 100 images taken over the past 23 years. With it the photographer presents a meditation on life, his lens delicately focused on birth, death and the rites in between.

• The exhibition is on until November 30. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am  to 1pm.

Oringinal article appeared in Wanted magazine.