Five must-see art exhibitions this June

We Turned Off The Road by Neill Wright — Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg

Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary artist Neill Wright presents his latest solo exhibition, We Turned Off The Road, at Everard Read Gallery in Rosebank. A graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, Wright draws inspiration from Japanese woodblock printing and Matisse, crafting richly layered works that explore the natural world while creating imagined landscapes.

Running from May 15 to June 21, the exhibition includes 14 works — among them a bronze sculpture — that invite viewers to reflect and find a moment of stillness amid a world marked by chaos and uncertainty. Known for his bold and colourful aesthetic, Wright’s new body of work captures a sense of visual escape and serenity.

Neill Wright’s “We Turned Off The Road” exhibition will run from May 15-June 21 at the Everard Read Gallery in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The Gallery is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Inquiries can be made at gallery@everard.co.za.

Hermanus Fynarts Festival — Hermanus, Western Cape

A celebration of SA creativity, the Hermanus FynArts Festival returns this June with a packed programme that spans ballet, music, visual art, cuisine and more. Hosted across various venues in Hermanus, the 2025 edition highlights renowned multimedia artist Mary Sibande as the FynArts Festival Artist. Curated by Lawrence Lemaoana in collaboration with SMAC Gallery, Sibande’s exhibition, I Got Up At…, opens at the FynArts Gallery on June 7.

Festivalgoers can also look forward to concerts, workshops, talks, performances and screenings. Key events include a ceramics exhibition at the Windsor Hotel, artist-led conversations, and a variety of workshops in mosaic, photography and multimedia art.

The festival runs from June 6-16, with tickets ranging from R80 to R700 depending on the event. Bookings can be made online via the FynArts Festival website or Webtickets.

‘Structures’ exhibition — Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation, Johannesburg

Exploring the intersection of sociology, infrastructure and spatial experience, the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation presents a multi-media exhibition titled Structures. Located in Forest Town, Johannesburg, Structures is the second instalment in the Foundation’s Worldmaking series, following last year’s Ecospheres, which investigated humanity’s relationship with the natural world. This new exhibition shifts focus to the built environment and society’s collective impact on space and place.

The exhibition features contributions from both artists and architects, including the SA Pavilion from the 2024 Venice Biennale, an interactive installation by a female-led architectural collective, and a whimsical cityscape constructed entirely out of couscous.

Running until November 15, Structures includes a dynamic programme of talks, publications, and a podcast series. Entry is free and guided tours can be booked via the Foundation’s website.

Diepe Grond Exhibition — HUB Gallery, Cape Town

Curated by Liza Grobler, official curator for the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK), Diepe Grond arrives at Cape Town’s House Union Block Gallery following its acclaimed run at the KKNK in Oudtshoorn. Inspired by Reza de Wet’s controversial 1980s play of the same name, the exhibition uses the Karoo landscape as a central character in a visual exploration of the boundaries between humanity, nature and the “other”.

The group show features more than 100 artists and addresses key ecological concerns in SA, such as water scarcity and resource extraction. Notable works include performative drawings by Henk Serfontein and dancer Hannah Loewenthal, created in real time to a Max Richter soundtrack; tapestries by the women-led Prince Albert-based studio Frances VH Mohair; and soil-and-dung paintings by Seretse Moletsane sourced from local roads.

The Diepe Grond exhibition runs until July 22 at the House Union Block Gallery in Cape Town. The gallery is open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm and offers free entry.

Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi by Mawanda Ka Zenzile — Stevenson Art Gallery, Johannesburg

Eastern Cape-born painter Mawande Ka Zenzile presents Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi at Stevenson Gallery in Parktown North. The exhibition’s title, which translates to “The witch obstructs the success of others,” speaks to themes of resistance, identity and spirituality.

Ka Zenzile, who holds a master’s in fine art from the Michaelis School of Fine Art, has received numerous accolades including the Tollman Award for Visual Art (2014) and the Michaelis Prize (2013). He has participated in residencies around the world and was one of three artists selected for the SA Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale.

His tenth solo exhibition is a deeply personal interrogation of his role as both artist and iTola (seer/healer), blurring the lines between art and spiritual existence. The work employs a range of mediums — cow dung, hessian, oil paint, earth, sculpture, photography and collage — to embody what Ka Zenzile terms “archetypocalypse-ism.”

The Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi installation will be on show at the Stevenson Gallery in Parktown North, Johannesburg until June 27. The Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 5pm and does not charge an entrance fee.