Do not miss these six local art exhibitions this May

What if flying were just falling in reverse | Everard Read Cape Town

“Language slips from even the most careful mouth. Lost words do not leave the window ajar after an escape. The nameless do not echo when they fall. As for silence, it is quick to make a home in a stranger’s mouth.” This solo exhibition called “What if flying were just falling in reverse” by Lucy Jane Turpin at Everard Read Cape Town is not to be missed.

What if flying were just falling in reverse will run until May 27. Everard Read Cape Town is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, and on Saturday from 9am-1pm.

Never The Same Water Twice and Federal Figurations | Stevenson

Never The Same Water Twice and Feral Figurations, two solo exhibitions by Penny Siopis, each offering new perspectives on the films and paintings key to her practice. Taking place in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the exhibitions work independently and in tandem to articulate the artist’s long-held and continually redefined philosophies around materiality, found forms and radical contingency

The two exhibitions by Penny Siopis will run until May 5. Stevenson Johannesburg and Cape Town are open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, and on Saturday from 10am-1pm.

Regarding Time | MOMO Outskirts

MOMO Outskirts, a satellite entity of Gallery MOMO Johannesburg, located in the Cradle of Humankind, will host an exhibition opening called Regarding Time: Visual Contemplations of Indexicals as well as a performance, called Regarding Time: Daydream Meadow. The exhibition looks at artists in the present and artists from the past, offering visual contemplations concerning the materiality of artworks. The performance by Annegret Affolderbach is a ceremonial enactment and the culmination of the artists' residency at Gallery MOMO in Johannesburg.

The two respective shows will start at 11am and 12pm on Saturday May 6. RSVP is essential for entry, latest May 4. Reserve your spot by email: info.outskirts@gmail.com

What we left behind | Goodman Gallery Johannesburg

What we left behind marks the first solo exhibition on the African continent by Ethiopian-Israeli artist Michal Worke. The exhibition showcases new paintings and works on paper and is curated by Tamar Arnon and Eli Zagury. Worke’s paintings combine self-portraiture with domestic scenes of family life and her wider community alongside still lives. At the heart of this latest body of work is an exploration of the aftermath of migration, a subject which the artist began unpacking during a residency in Addis Ababa in 2022. The exhibition also responds to feelings of nostalgia for home as well as experiences of feeling marginalised by members of the Ethiopian communities in Israel.

What we left behind will run until May 20. Goodman Gallery Johannesburg is open Tuesday-Friday, 8.30am-5pm, and on Saturday from 8.30am-4pm.

Chisi Hachieri Musa Wacharimwa — A seed will take its time to grow | Everard Read Johannesburg

Tafadzwa Tega’s work is a love letter to the resilient Zimbabwean diaspora, who have left their homes in search of a better life. The subjects of Tega’s work embody the essence of Zimbabwean culture and tradition, with books representing education, chandeliers symbolising colonialism, and traditional cloth evoking deep-rooted customs. Tega’s latest solo exhibition at Everard Read Johannesburg is a tribute to Zimbabwean’s strength, courage and love.

Chisi Hachieri Musa Wacharimwa — A seed will take its time to grow runs until June 2. Everard Read Johannesburg is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, and on Saturday from 9am-1pm.

Tributaries: Contemporary Zimbabwean Narratives | Barnard Gallery 

Barnard Gallery, in association with artHARARE, is pleased to present Tributaries: Contemporary Zimbabwean Narratives. The group exhibition includes selected artworks by leading Zimbwean artists such as Richard Mudariki, Wilfred Timire, Franklyn Dzingai and Dan Halter. The exhibition explores sociopolitical notions relating to identity, belonging, memory and geography in a postcolonial African context.

Tributaries: Contemporary Zimbabwean Narratives runs until May 23. The Barnard Gallery is open from 9am-4pm on weekdays, and from 9am-12pm on Saturdays, or by appointment.