Contemporary Art in Focus: July’s Top Art Exhibitions and Programmes

Earth Pictures by Yinka Shonibare — Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg

Johannesburg’s Goodman Gallery presents Earth Pictures by British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Yinka Shonibare.

Shonibare is internationally acclaimed for exploring the entanglement of cultural and national identity through a Western and African lens. Born in London and raised in Lagos, he studied Fine Art at the Byam Shaw School of Art and later completed his MFA at Goldsmiths, University of London. A signature feature in his work is the use of vibrant “African” batik — an Indonesian-inspired, Dutch-manufactured textile that reflects the complexities of postcolonial identity.

Earth Pictures features a series of sculpted masks and quilts that examine the environmental consequences of colonialism and industrialisation across  Africa. The richly embroidered quilts depict endangered species and delicate ecosystems threatened by extractive industries.

The exhibition runs until July 24 at Goodman Gallery in Parkwood, Johannesburg. Free entry, no bookings. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm.

Spring is Rebellious: The Art & Life of Albie Sachs — Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town

Zeitz MOCAA presents Spring is Rebellious: The Art & Life of Albie Sachs from July 24 2025 to August 23 2026. 

This landmark exhibition honours Albie Sachs, the activist, writer and former Constitutional Court judge, through a visual exploration of his life’s journey. Sachs studied law at the University of Cape Town and went on to defend political prisoners under apartheid. Exiled in 1966, he later moved to Mozambique where he contributed to the ANC’s Code of Conduct, and eventually returned SA Africa to help draft the new constitution and serve on the highest court after the country’s first democratic elections.

The exhibition reflects on the intertwined histories SA Africa and Mozambique, framing key moments in Sachs’ life through artworks drawn from the UWC-Robben Island Mayibuye Archives, the Constitutional Court Art Collection, and Sachs’ personal archive.

Spring is Rebellious runs from July 24 2025 to August 23 2026. Zeitz MOCAA is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Tickets start at R250 and can be booked via the museum’s website.

One and the Many — Javett Art Centre, University of Pretoria

The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria reopens on July 5  with a new exhibition, One and the Many.

Featuring large-scale works by leading contemporary artists including Stephané E Conradie, Goldendean, Ledelle Moe, Abdus Salaam, Inga Somdyala and Katlego Tlabela, the exhibition engages with themes of individuality and collective identity. The artworks are placed in dialogue with three of the centre’s permanent collections: the South32 Collection, the Javett Family Collection and the Bongi Dhlomo Collection.

Curated by Storm Janse van Rensburg (senior curator at Zeitz MOCAA) in collaboration with the university’s curatorial team, the show unfolds in three thematic chapters exploring time, space and scale.

One and the Many opens on July 5 at the Javett Art Centre in Elandspoort 357-Jr. The centre is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. R150 for adults, R70 for pensioners and free for students registered at SA universities.

Children’s Winter Holiday Programme: Cosmic Creatures and Constellations – Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town

Zeitz MOCAA hosts its Children’s Winter Holiday Programme from July 1-4. Titled Cosmic Creatures and Constellations, aimed at children aged 6 to 16.

The workshops draw inspiration from the museum’s current exhibitions, including Understudies by Nolan Oswald Dennis, Selections from the Collection, Sala and The Other Side of Now. Activities cater to varying skill levels and include balloon printmaking, stained-glass crafts and creating imaginative “astral antennae.”

Hosted in the BMW Centre for Art Education, the workshops run daily from 10.15am to 1pm. Attendance is free for children of Zeitz MOCAA members; R250 per session for non-members. Booking is essential and can be made via the museum website: zeitzmocaa.museum

Still Waters by Remy Jungerman — Goodman Gallery Cape Town

The Goodman Gallery in Cape Town is hosting Still Waters by Surinamese Dutch multimedia artist Remy Jungerman.

Jungerman studied at the Academy for Higher Arts and Cultural Studies in Paramaribo, Suriname, before relocating to Amsterdam to attend the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. His practice investigates the overlap of Surinamese Maroon culture, African diasporic traditions, and modernist abstraction.

In Still Waters, his first solo show in Cape Town, Jungerman applies kaolin clay, a sacred material in African spiritual practices, allowing it to drip freely across fabric panels, evoking ritualistic libation. He also incorporates ceremonial textiles from the Afro-Surinamese Winti tradition, using the natural fall of the fabric to guide each composition’s form.

The exhibition runs until July 31  at the Goodman Gallery in Green Point. Entry is free. The gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm.