Join Art Formes as they celebrate the inaugural solo exhibition of one of South Africa’s most pioneering ceramic artists, Nicholas Sithole, with a walkabout and lecture led by Olivia Barrell on this extraordinary body of work, and how Sithole’s radical practice has inspired generations of ceramic artists in South Africa.
The presentation of Sithole’s solo exhibition reflects Art Formes’ commitment to recognising important sculptural practices that have historically existed outside the formal narratives of the fine art world. In a country marked by profound historical rupture, the emergence of a ceramic master such as Sithole speaks powerfully to the resilience embedded within South Africa’s material traditions.
His vessels carry within them a quiet cosmology — objects shaped by memory, discipline, and the enduring relationship between hand, earth, and fire.
Sithole is renowned for his command of motifs. Over decades of working with clay, he has developed and crafted many of his own tools, allowing him to incise and articulate the surface of the clay with remarkable precision. Geometric patterns move rhythmically across his hand-built terracotta forms — carved, burnished, and deepened through smoke-firing. These marks are not merely decorative. They animate the vessel, catching light and shadow across the curved surface.
“Through a language of line and texture, Sithole transforms traditional ceramic techniques into distinctly contemporary expressions, where pattern, form, and fire work together in quiet harmony.” — Olivia Barrell
Excellent reason for heading to Art Formes Gallery this Friday 27 March 2027!
WHAT: Umsobomvu – A Solo Exhibition by Nicholas Sithole
WHERE: Art Formes, The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7915
WHEN: Walkabout & Lecture Friday, 27 March 10:00 – 11:00
INFO: Exhibition Catalogue | VISIT | E info@artformes.com
LEAD PHOTO: Nicholas Sithole in his studio, Haneem Christian for RobbReport
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