Four emerging South African artists take centre stage at Cape Town exhibition

Four emerging South African artists will bring their perspectives on identity, belonging, memory and history to Cape Town this November, as the Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) returns with a new exhibition celebrating the next generation of local artistic talent, ***Cape {town} Etc ***reports.

Titled Tiriparwendo, the exhibition opens at Hub Gallery in the city centre on Thursday, 12 November 2026, bringing together new work by Bekezela Mabena, Luxolo Theophilus Witvoet, Mpumelelo Samantha Maseko and Viola Greyling.

The exhibition runs until 22 January 2027, offering visitors an opportunity to explore the different ways these artists interpret personal experiences and the world around them. While their artistic approaches vary, a common thread runs through their work: questions about identity, where people come from and what it means to find a place in the world.

Investing in the next generation of South African artists

The exhibition marks the culmination of a year-long development programme designed to help emerging and mid-career artists build sustainable careers in the creative industry.

Established in 2011, NCX is sponsored by Nando’s and administered by Spier Arts Trust. The initiative gives selected artists access to mentorship, funding for materials, studio collaborations and opportunities to exhibit their work.

Rather than focusing solely on producing an exhibition, the programme aims to prepare participants for the practical demands of working as professional artists, including developing a recognisable body of work and building relationships within the gallery and wider art world.

Spier Arts Trust CEO Mirna Wessels says the opportunity to present a collection publicly is an important part of that journey.

‘Presenting a body of work for public exhibition is a vital step in an artist’s professional practice.’

– Mirna Wessels, Spier Arts Trust CEO

Wessels adds that the exchange between artists and established mentors helps participants develop their skills while gaining access to networks and greater visibility.

Four artists, four different perspectives

All four participants are also part of the Creative Block programme, Spier Arts Trust’s foundation initiative. Born between 1994 and 1997, they belong to a generation that grew up in democratic South Africa, bringing contemporary perspectives to conversations about the country’s changing cultural and social landscape.

Johannesburg-based Bekezela Mabena, born in Tembisa in 1996, explores migration, identity and belonging through printmaking, painting and mixed media.

Having moved between South Africa and Zimbabwe, his experiences inform work that considers the meaning of home and the complexities of finding a sense of belonging. Bold colours and layered marks feature prominently in his visual approach.

Cape Town-raised Luxolo Theophilus Witvoet takes a different route, combining digital image-making with traditional painting.

Born in Qonce in 1994, the self-taught multidisciplinary artist draws inspiration from everyday township life, including commuters, musicians, families and ordinary people. His work also revisits South Africa’s visual history, using materials such as acrylic, tobacco ash and gold leaf to create textured compositions.

Picture: Supplied

For Mpumelelo Samantha Maseko, born in Boschfontein, Mpumalanga, in 1997, the focus is on Black femininity, identity and personal transformation.

Now based in Johannesburg, she works across painting, collage, assemblage and printmaking. Her practice explores the experiences and stories of Black women, presenting them as complex individuals who shape their own identities and narratives.

Pretoria-based ceramic artist Viola Greyling, born in 1996, uses clay to examine memory, displacement and the emotional meaning of belonging.

Her sculptural work incorporates natural forms such as seeds and stalagmites, alongside textures and impressions made using packaging materials. These elements become visual reminders of movement, place and the different experiences that shape a person’s identity.

Exhibition offers a closer look at emerging local talent

For Cape Town audiences, Tiriparwendo offers more than an opportunity to view new artworks. It also provides insight into the ideas and experiences informing the work of a younger generation of South African creatives.

The exhibition highlights how artists are using different mediums to explore questions that remain relevant across communities, from migration and cultural identity to family, history and the search for belonging. Members of the public will also have an opportunity to meet the four artists at the official opening.

The event starts at 17:30 on Thursday, 12 November, at Hub Gallery, situated inside Union House at 25 Commercial Street in Cape Town. The gallery is open from Monday to Friday, between 09:00 and 16:00.

Event Details:

• Date:

  Thursday, 12 November 2026

• Time:

  17:30

• Venue:

  HUB Gallery, 25 Commercial Street, Cape Town

Further information is available here, or follow @spierartstrust on Instagram.

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**Picture: **Supplied

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