Kimathi Mafafo (b. 1984) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice ranges from embroidery and oil painting to installation. Mafafo obtained a National Diploma in Fine Arts from the College of Cape Town in 2007 and a National Diploma in Film and Video from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2016. Born in the semi-arid Kimberley in the Northern Cape of South Africa, Mafafo questions historical stereotypes around gender inequality in Africa. She primarily focuses on celebrating the black female and depicting abstracted forms typically surrounded by verdant imagery, characterised by lush greenery and sensuous drapery that are far removed from the dusty mining town where she grew up. She has recently organized a group of Capetonian woman into an informal traditional embroidery society.
Solo exhibitions include (Upcoming) Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, USA (2025); Ebullience, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2024); Wandering in the Unknown World, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2023); Kgolagano – A Covenant, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2022); Gestures from The Awakened Mind, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2021); Embolden, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2019); Solo Presentation, at Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Ebony Curated (2018); CITCC, Cape Town, South Africa (2018); Alone in Spring, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2017); Withdrawn, World Art, Cape Town, South Africa (2015).
Group exhibitions include Fabric of Life, curated by Catherine Loewe, Paul Smith, No9 Albemarle Street, London, UK, (2024); The Armory Show, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York (2024); EXPO Chicago, Ebony Curated, Chicago, IL (2024); Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Generations Section, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2024); Soulscapes, curated by Lisa Anderson, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK (2024); New Wave Art Wknd, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, USA (2023); Hiatus, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2023); An Endless Night, curated by Anelisa Mangcu, The Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa (2023); Norval Foundation’s 6th Collectors' Focus: The Kilbourn Collection, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa (2023); Talking Threads, Ode to the Maker: Embroidery WereldMuseum, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2023); EXPO Chicago, Ebony Curated, Chicago, USA (2023); Art Dubai, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Dubai, UAE (2023); Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Ebony Curated, South Africa (2023); Also Known As Africa (AKKA), Ebony Curated, Paris, France (2022); Diversity, Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch, South Africa (2022); Art Paris, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Paris (2022); Geleceg(n)iDokumak, CerModern Museum, Ankara, Turkey (2022); (IM)MATERIALITY, This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon, Portugal (2022); A Very Loop Street Summer, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2021); Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, FNB Art Joburg, Open City, Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank, South Africa (2021); Threads, The Duende Art Project, Monastery of the Zwartzusters, Antwerp, Belgium (2021); Presentation with This Is Not a White Cube, Lisbon, Portugal (2021); Facing the Sun, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Goerne, Germany (2021); Knotted Ties, Lobby Gallery, Christie’s New York, USA (2021); In (the) Loop, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2021); Devil’s in The Details, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2020); Feminist Utopia, curated by Anelisa Mangcu, Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2020); Angel, St Antoine Church, in association with Muse Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey (2019); Botanica II, curated by Adele van Heerden for Art B Gallery, Bellville, South Africa (2019); Textile, curated By Amy Pike For Dyman Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa (2019); Filling in the Gaps, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2019).
Highlights and collections
Kimathi Mafafo was finalist for the Ares Art Prize (2022) and the recipient of the Norval Foundation Sovereign Art Prize (2022). Kimathi Mafafo's work can be found in various international collections which include Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana; Figge Art Museum, Iowa; The Newark Museum of Art, USA; The Bunker Artspace Collection, Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Kilbourn Collection, Cape Town, South Africa; William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberly South Africa; Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa; Africa First Collection, Israel; IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa; The Art Bank of South Africa, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa; The Irma Stern Museum, The University of Cape Town; Foundation H Museum, Antananarivo, Madagascar; Jiminez / Constantine Trust, Puerto Rico; Euston Capital Collection, USA; The House of KOKO, London, UK; Spiers Arts Trust, South Africa; Nelson Mandela Art Museum in Gqeberha (FKA Port Elizabeth); Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch, South Africa; OLYM Collection, Belgium, France; The Levett Collection, Europe.
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