Qualifications
BA (FA) (PU for CHE) 1982;
HDLib (PU for CHE) 1984;
Hons B Bibl (UNISA) 1998;
Psychology III (UNISA) 2004;
Adv Dip Visual Art (UNISA) 2006 (Cum Laude)
MVA (UNISA) 2011 (Cum Laude)
Solo Exhibitions
Richmond Loop, multimedia artwork in collaboration with New Music composer Michael Blake, screening at The Neelsie Cinema, Stellenbosch. November 2024.
Disrupt, Spier Arts Trust, Union House, Cape Town. August – September 2021.
Disrupt II, Old Wine Cellar, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch. November 2021 – April 2022.
Uproot, RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel. February 2020.
The Boat Circle, public installation, Riebeek Kasteel, 2020 – 2021.
Archives of loss and longing, festival artist at the Woordfees, Stellenbosch. March 2018.
Rupture, special project at 1:54 African Art Fair, London. October 2018.
The body of the book, Orafrica, Paris, France. April 2017
Solo shows as part of Solo Studios event, Hoofstraat Conceptual, Riebeek Kasteel. Annually from 2016 to 2024, except 2021.
101 ways to long for a home, African Art Book Fair, Dak’Art Biennale, Senegal. May 3 – 9, 2016.
101 ways, Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg, 2016
101 ways to long for a home, artist’s book installation, Florence Biennale, 2015.
Dis(place), Lovell Gallery, Woodstock, Cape Town, 2013.
Selected Group exhibitions
REALIGN, two person exhibition with artist Ingrid Bolton, 196 Victoria Gallery February 2025.
LANDscape[s] group exhibition at the KKNK art festival, April 2025.
For(Sea)Change, group show by ThePrintingGirls, AVA Gallery, Cape Town. October – November 2024.
Proximity, Unisa staff show, Unisa Art Gallery, Pretoria. September 2024.
Ellipses: approximations to a voice, curated by Jean Dreyer, Johannes Stegmann Gallery, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. July 2024.
Amongst other things, The Labyrinth Project, Gqeberha. April 2024.
artwords, curated by Jean Dreyer, The Gallery, Glen Carlou, Western Cape. September – November 2023.
MESH, with Gwenneth Miller, Colleen Alborough and Mandy Conidaris. RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel. April 2022.
The Troubled Archive, The Labyrinth Project, Ellis House Art Studios, Johannesburg. May – June 2021.
Tribute, curated by Elfriede Dreyer at the KKNK art festival, Oudtshoorn. March 2019.
Feast your eyes exhibition, Nando’s, Nottinghill, London. July 2018.
Spier Arts Trust Group show, Nando’s booth, 1:54 African Art Fair, London. October 2018.
Forward …, Stellenbosch University Centenary Exhibition, Stellenbosch Museum. December 2018.
Booknesses, FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg. March 2017.
Winter Sculpture Fair, Nirox, Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng. May 2017.
100 Geographies, hosted by the Society of South African Geographers, Stellenbosch University Art Museum. September 2016.
Public artworks
House in my head (2024), collaborative mosaic project with Spier Arts Trust, Unisa Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg.
The Stone Circle Project (2020), public sculpture installation and community project at the Royal Hotel Amphitheatre in Riebeek Kasteel.
Counting Stones (2017), found boat, stones collected from various sites in South Africa, Hermanus Old Harbour.
Slide (2017), found wooden shelves, Eucaluptus bark, mutton cloth, Nirox, Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng.
Collaborations
House in my head (2024), public art installation, collaboration with Heinrich Joemath and Hammered Rocks Mosaic Studio with Spier Arts Trust.
Richmond Loop (2023), multimedia collaboration with New Music composer Michael Blake.
Points of Departure (2022), collaboration with photographer Rudolph Willemse and curator Elizabeth Miller Vermeulen.
Solo Studios (2020), collaboration with painter Jenny Parsons.
The Stone Circle Project (2020), collaboration with The Artery, a youth collective residing in the Riebeek Valley.
Academic and lecturing activities
Mentor for emerging artists in the Nando’s Creative Exchange Programme, sponsored by Spier Arts Trust, 2025.
External writer for honours level module, Unisa. June to August 2025.
Community project mentor, RASA children’s art group, Riebeek West. March to July 2025.
Presentation of a course titled Art & Concept, for emerging artists in the Nando’s Creative Exchange Programme, sponsored by Spier Arts Trust, February 2025
External writer for 2 study modules, third level Visual Arts Students, Unisa. September to November 2024
Presentation of a course titled Art & Concept, for mentees of ThePrintingGirls, Johannesburg. March 2023.
Presentation of a course on Photography and Concept, Hoofstraat Conceptual, Riebeek Kasteel. April 2023.
Presentation of two lectures on artists’ exhibitions as seen at the Venice Biennale 2022. Hoofstraat Conceptual, Riebeek Kasteel. October 2022.
External examiner of MVA student, Unisa. 2021.
Contract lecturer in Visual Arts, UNISA, Cape Town based. 2008 – 2015.
Awards
Recipient of the Medal of Honour for Human Sciences and the Arts awarded by the South African Academy of Science and Arts. July 2022.
Nominated for a KykNet Fiesta prize in the Visual Art category for Archiving loss and longing, Woordfees, Stellenbosch. 2018.
Art works included in collections
Spier Collection
Nando’s UK
Nando’s Head Office, Johannesburg
Art Bank Johannesburg
MAPSA collection, Richmond, Great Karoo, South Africa
SA Embassy, Beijing, China
Rustenburg Civic Centre
Potchefstroom Museum
Potchefstroom University
KunshuisRK, Riebeek Kasteel
Private collections in South Africa, Europe and USA
Master’s thesis
The phenomenon of displacement in contemporary society and its manifestation in contemporary visual art (2010 - 11)
Abstract: https://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4343
Full document:
https://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/4343/dissertation_willemse_e.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
