Jonathan van der Walt (b. 1991) is a Gqeberha-based visual artist, curator, and academic whose interdisciplinary practice merges traditional and digital sculptural techniques to explore contemporary South African identity. He holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art Sculpture from Nelson Mandela University, where he lectures in Visual Arts and manages the Bird Street Gallery and the School of Visual and Performing Arts’ 3D Printing Lab. He is also a member of the South African Visual Arts Historians (SAVAH) and serves on the board of ArtEC, supporting emerging artists in the Eastern Cape.

Jonathan’s recent work critically examines contemporary white African identity through a postcolonial lens, using the braai as a thematic point of departure. By deconstructing its forms, textures, and sensory elements, he interrogates its layered meanings in relation to his South African heritage and identity construction. His practice integrates traditional sculptural methods with digital technologies, including 3D modeling and printing, creating a dialogue between the tactile and the virtual, the past and the present.

A recipient of the 2024 William Humphreys Art Gallery Artist-in-Residence, Jonathan has exhibited nationally and internationally, with highlights including his solo exhibition From the Woods to the Soil at WHAG, Kimberley, and GFI Art Gallery, Gqeberha, The Art of Making It at 99 Loop Street, Cape Town as well as the Imago Mundi project, exhibiting in Venice, Rome, and New York. He has been a national finalist on numerous occasions in the Absa L’Atelier, Sasol New Signatures and PPC Imaginarium competitions. His curatorial highlight includes co-curating Land/Lines for the National Arts Festival’s Main Programme in 2024, emphasizing the cultural and socio-political depth of the Eastern Cape.

Through his art and research, Jonathan continues to challenge narratives of identity, materiality, and digital hybridity in a postcolonial South African context.

Exhibitions

  • “from the Woods to the Soil” solo exhibition at the GFI Art Gallery, Gqeberha (25 October – 27 November 2024)
  • “South African Exhibition” at the Belfius Bank, Brussels, Belgium (September 2024 – February 2025) 
  • “Rooftop XI – Take a Stand” group exhibition at the Viewing Room Gallery, Sandton Hotel, Johannesburg (17 August – 26 October 2024)
  • “from the Woods to the Soil” solo exhibition at the William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley (26 March – 15 May 2024)
  • “In the Eye of the Beholder” group exhibition at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Gqeberha (October 2023 – April 2024)
  • Spinning the Golden Thread group exhibition at GFI Art Gallery, Gqeberha (October 2023)
  • Looking Up – contribution to the experimental art project Touch Type by The Trinity Sessions, Marcus Neustetter and Stephen Hobbs at Mandela University Planetarium (October 2023)
  • Winter Group Show at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town (July 2023)
  • “In the Eye of the Beholder” group exhibition at the National Arts Festival, Albany Museum, Makhanda (June/July 2023)
  • VISIONS & VOICES group exhibition at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town (April 2023)
  • Romancing the Stone exhibition at KZNSA Gallery, Durban (September 2022)
  • Celebrating Eastern Cape Art exhibition at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Port Elizabeth (July/August 2022)
  • Decorex Africa 2022 group exhibition with ECDC at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg (July 2022)
  • (black) American group exhibition at The Ritz Museum, Jacksonville, FL, USA (June – August 2022)
  • Autumn Salon Show at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town (April 2022)
  • Arts Accelerator group exhibition at Julie Miller African Art Contemporary, Johannesburg (March 2022)
  • Sasol New Signatures 2021 Top 100 exhibition, Pretoria Art Museum (11 November – 09 January 2022)
  • Through our eyes: Cultural Exchange – Journey to America exhibition at The Ritz Theatre & Art Museum, Jacksonville, Florida, USA (October 2021/April 2022)
  • SculptX Fair exhibition at the Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (September/October 2021)
  • Celebrating Eastern Cape Art exhibition at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Port Elizabeth (June/July 2021)
  • Not Moving/Let’s Move Exhibition at ArtEC, Port Elizabeth (April 2021)
  • Summer Salon show at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town (January 2021)
  • Launch exhibition of Corrie Scribante Gallery, Umhlanga Rocks, Durban (January 2021)
  • MONOCHROME at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town (December 2020)
  • Materiality <> Temporality at Bird Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth (September 2020)
  • Through our eyes: Cultural Exchange – Journey to America group exhibition at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Port Elizabeth (December 2019/January 2020
  • Summer Season group exhibition at Platform 13 Gallery, Fish Hoek, Cape Town (October 2019/February 2020)
  • SculptX group exhibition at the Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (August/September 2019)
  • Configuration group exhibition at GFI Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth (August 2019)
  • Sculpture & Painting Nelson Mandela University exhibition at the Makhanda National Arts Festival (June/July 2019)
  • Winter Season group exhibition at Platform 13 Gallery, Fish Hoek, Cape Town (May 2019)
  • ‘PPC Imaginarium’ National Finalists exhibition at UJ Gallery, Johannesburg (April/May 2019)
  • ‘Palate, Plate, Palette’ group exhibition at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, Cape Town (April/May 2019)
  • ‘The African Art Collective – Autumn Edition’ at The Julie Miller Investment Art Institute, Johannesburg (March/April 2019)
  • ‘PPC Imaginarium’ Pop-Up exhibition of regional entries at the Bird Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth (March 2019)
  • ‘We Are Present’ group exhibition at the Bird Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth (March 2019)
  • ‘The Blushful Hippocrene’ at Knysna Fine Art, Knysna (November 2018/2019)
  • ‘Stargarden’ group exhibition at Platform 13 Gallery, Fish Hoek, Cape Town (October 2018/2019)
  • Absa L’Atelier 2018 Finalists exhibition at the Absa Gallery, Johannesburg (September 2018)
  • SculptX group exhibition at the Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (August 2018)
  • Sasol New Signatures 2018 Finalists exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum (August 2018)
  • 99th Annual Exhibition at ArtEC, Port Elizabeth (August 2018)
  • NMU Postgraduate Sculpture exhibition 2-man show with Sarah Walmsley at the Makhanda National Arts Festival (June/July 2018)
  • Intersection 100/135 at the Bird Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth (June/July 2018)
  • Artbox.Projects New York 1.0 at Stricoff Fine Art Gallery, New York, USA (March 2018)
  • Untitled 5.99 group show at 99 Loop Gallery, Cape Town, Western Cape (December 2017 – January 2018)
  • Summer group show at the Boutique Gallery, Franschhoek, Western Cape (October 2017 – January 2018)
  • Summer group show at the Boutique Gallery, Camps Bay, Cape Town (October 2017 – January 2018)
  • Paradisiac summer exhibition at The Daniel Kok Galery, Hemel-en-Aarde, Hermanus (October 2017 – January 2018)
  • The Umthombo Experience Charity Art Auction at the Bird Street Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth (September 2017)
  • Guest speaker and exhibitor at the Creative Connect, Colours of You SA, Tramways Building, Port Elizabeth (September 2017)
  • SculptX sculpture fair at The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (06 September – 08 October 2017)
  • “The Art of Making it” solo exhibition at 99 Loop Gallery, Cape Town (07 – 23 September 2017)
  • Sasol New Signatures 2017 Top 100 exhibition, Pretoria Art Museum (30 August – 08 October 2017)
  • Modern Miniatures exhibition at GFI Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth (August 2017)
  • 98th Annual Exhibition at ArtEC, Port Elizabeth (July/August 2017)
  • Laywers Against Abuse (LvA) Fundraising Art Auction at the Johannesburg Country Club (July 2017)
  • Emerge exhibition at the Bird Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth (June/July 2017)
  • Sculpture & Painting at the Carinus Art Centre, Grahamstown, National Arts Festival (June/July 2017)
  • Modern Miniatures exhibition at Trinity Hall, Grahamstown, National Arts Festival (June /June 2017)
  • Modern Miniatures exhibition at Art On Target, Port Elizabeth (May/June 2017)
  • Masters Graduate Exhibition at the Bird Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth (February 2017)
  • Invited artist to participate in the Art Meander 2016, at Art on Target, Port Elizabeth (December 2016)
  • Invited artist to participate in the Skate Create project at the Colours of You Creative Festival, Port Elizabeth (November 2016)
  • In The Making group exhibition at ArtEC Gallery, Port Elizabeth (September 2016)
  • Imago Mundi: The Art of Humanity at the Pratt Institute, Small Canvas Project – New York, USA (May 2016)
  • Bird Street Gallery Pop-Up Exhibition for the opening of the American Corner (April 2016)
  • Imago Mundi: Map of the New Art, Small Canvas Project – Venice, Italy (September – November 2015)
  • Top 100 Finalist in Sasol New Signatures 2015 competition at the Pretoria Art Museum in Pretoria (September 2015)
  • 99 Loop Gallery’s private collection, Cape Town. Gallery Opening (August 2015)
  • Sasol New Signatures Regional Selection Exhibition at the Quad Gallery, NMMU, Port Elizabeth (July 2015)
  • Top 100 Finalist in Barclay’s L’Atelier 2015 competition at the Absa Gallery in Johannesburg (July 2015)
  • NMMU 3D exhibition at the National Art’s Festival 2015, Grahamstown (July 2015)
  • Wish You Were Here satellite exhibition at the National Art’s Festival 2015, Grahamstown (July 2015)
  • Wish You Were Here satellite exhibition at William Humphrey’s Art Gallery, Kimberley (March 2015)
  • Barclay’s L’Atelier Regional Selection Exhibition at the Quad Gallery, NMMU, Port Elizabeth (March 2015)
  • NEWNOWNEXT group exhibition at Galerie NOKO(December 2014 – January 2015)
  • Invited artist for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Biennial (October 2014 – January 2015)
  • Wish You Were Here exhibition 4 satellite shows around Port Elizabeth (October 2014 – January 2015)
  • Imago Mundi: The Art of Humanity, Small Canvas Project South Africa – Rome, Italy (November 2014 – January 2015)
  • Selector’s Choice for Wish You Were Here exhibition and NMMU and Business Chamber’s chosen artist award (September 2014)
  • Top 100 Finalist in Absa l’Atelier 2014 competition at the Absa Gallery in Johannesburg (August 2014)
  • Top 100 Finalist in the Sasol New Signatures 2014 competition at the Pretoria Art Museum (July 2014)
  • Imago Mundi: The Art of Humanity, Small Canvas Project South Africa – Treviso, Italy (July – August 2014)
  • Parergons of the Divine Virgule group exhibition at the ArtEC Gallery (June 2014)
  • For Play ii group exhibition at Underculture Contemporary (December 2013 – January 2014)
  • Featured artist in Luciano Benetton Collection Small Canvas Project South Africa Catalogue (2013)
  • Top 100 Finalist in the Sasol New Signatures 2013 competition at the Pretoria Art Museum ( July 2013)
  • The Graduate Exhibition at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Quad Gallery (November 2013)
  • The Graduate Exhibition at Nelson Mandela University Quad Gallery (November 2012)
  • New Signatures Exhibition at the ArtEC Gallery (April 2012)
  • The Intrinsic exhibition at the ArtEC Gallery (February 2012)

Collections

  • Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum
  • ArtBank SA
  • William Humphreys Art Gallery
  • Luciano Benetton Collection


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