Five art exhibitions not to be missed this February

Mother Land | Everard Read Johannesburg

Deborah Bell’s latest exhibition, “Mother Land,” offers a glimpse into her personal journey of resettlement from SA to New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through her evocative cotton paper pieces, Bell weaves a narrative that transcends the immediate experience, delving into universal themes of the ancient, archetypes and recurring motifs. Familiarity with Bell's work will be rewarded, as familiar elements like the sphinx, keys, and red shoes resurface in this new collection. Yet, “Mother Land” feels fresh and introspective, inviting viewers to contemplate the effects of displacement and the enduring power of symbolism.

•Mother Land runs until April 6. Everard Read Johannesburg is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, and on Saturday 9am-1pm.

The Weight of a Nail | Goodman Gallery Cape Town

This is Ravelle Pillay’s first large-scale solo exhibition with the Goodman Gallery Cape Town. Featuring a new series of paintings, the show offers a response to the artist’s investigation of her family’s history, oral histories and their relationships to the lush, haunted landscapes of KwaZulu-Natal, SA. Creeping through and haunting these works are the lingering shadows of nationhood, heritage and the cycles of oppression experienced by generations of people across space and time, whose lives have been circumscribed by the dark, overt or barely noticeable incursions of colonialism.

• The Weight of a Nail opens on February 10, and runs until March 23. Goodman Gallery Cape Town is open Tuesday-Friday 8.30am-5pm and on Saturday 8.30am-4pm.

Thin Places | Everard Read Cape Town

Unveiling the invisible lines that frame our perception, Gerhard Marx embarks on a solo exhibition exploring the very concept of landscape. His focus? The tools, materials, language and traditions that inevitably shape and restrict our understanding of the natural world. By dissecting these visual languages, Marx seeks to disrupt the way we experience and imagine landscapes, urging us to question the implied reality painted within.

• Thin Places runs until March 2. Everard Read Cape Town is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and on Saturday 9am-1pm.

Basant | Stevenson Johannesburg

Step into a vibrant spring awakening at “Basant,” Shine Shivan's first solo debut in Africa. The Johannesburg gallery becomes a serene temple, adorned with captivating floor-to-ceiling drawings. Shivan's pastels and charcoals bring to life deities and their companions, human and animal alike, in moments of pure, ecstatic existence. Inspired by “Basant,” the Hindi word for spring, these artworks celebrate the cyclical nature of balance and vitality. They evoke the joy that blossoms from devotion to spiritual truths, illuminating the world around us with renewed energy.

• Basant runs from February 10-March 15. Stevenson Johannesburg is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and 10am-1pm on Saturday.

Vigil and Dzuvula | Southern Guild Cape Town 

“Vigil” is a solo exhibition of ceramic sculptures and paintings by SA artist Justine Mahoney. The artist reimagines the 12 Jungian archetypes in a series of sculpted figures and large-scale paintings on heavyweight fabric. Rooted in a wealth of esoteric theory, Mahoney’s archetypes embody and mythologise facets of the collective human unconscious. “Vigil by Mahoney runs concurrently with “Dzuvula” (Shedding Skin) by Rich Mnisi.

Rich Mnisi unveils his latest design collection, “Dzuvula,” in a captivating solo exhibition. This expansion on his 2021 debut, “Nyoka,” delves deeper into the captivating duality at the heart of his design philosophy. Sculptural bronze furniture and lighting intertwine with the hand-woven “Dzuvula” rug, each piece an embodiment of the interplay between the ordinary and the fantastical, the matriarchal and the powerful. By embracing fluidity as his guiding light, Mnisi blurs the lines between these contrasting themes. Every element, from the sinuous curves of the furniture to the intricate patterns of the rug, whispers of ancient myths and timeless power, inviting viewers to experience the magic woven into the everyday.

• Vigil runs from February 8-April 18. Southern Guild is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and 10am-1pm on Saturday.