Beyond Oil and Canvas: Iziko’s Matereality V2 Turns Everyday Materials into Continental Masterpieces
For media images and interview requests, please contact: Zikhona Jafta at mediaofficer@iziko.org.za
CAPE TOWN – Iziko Museums of South Africa officially unveils Matereality V2, a major ten-month exhibition opening at the Iziko South African National Gallery on 21 August 2026. Bringing together over 70 creators and more than 100 works spanning 5 rooms, the exhibition gives readers and visitors a vivid sense of the sheer size, breadth, and depth of contemporary African practice. Across generations and regions, these artists transform physical materials into profound political, social, and cultural statements.
The exhibition title, a deliberate play on materiality and reality, reflects a core curatorial truth: in contemporary African practice, a choice of medium is never passive. Building on its acclaimed 2020 iteration, which was heavily disrupted by global COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Matereality V2 gives this crucial artistic movement the expansive, public stage it was previously denied. Rather than relying on traditional fine art mediums, participating artists turn both ordinary and industrial elements into dynamic visual languages. Works on display incorporate materials ranging from soil, concrete, roof paint, and timber to sugar, felt, sequins, wire, and salvaged consumer goods.
Through these mediums, creators dismantle historic artistic hierarchies to address urgent themes of identity, land, memory, ecology, and lived experience.
The exhibition features leading continental voices and celebrated international figures, including Athi-Patra Ruga, Elias Sime, Abdoulaye Konaté, Lungisa Gqunta, Chris Soal, and Walter Oltmann, alongside a dynamic cohort of mid-career and emerging creators.
Matereality V2 will run from 21 August 2026 through June 2027. Iziko Museums will support the ten-month exhibition with an extensive public programme, including curator-led walkthroughs, artist panels, and educational workshops.
Visit www.iziko.org.za for ticketing, gallery hours, and exhibition details. Stay updated on upcoming news and events by subscribing to the Iziko Newsletter.
Facts Only
* Exhibition: Matereality V2.
* Opening Date: August 21, 2026.
* Exhibition Duration: Ten months, running through June 2027.
* Location: Iziko South African National Gallery.
* Scope: Over 70 creators and more than 100 works spanning 5 rooms.
* Exhibition theme: Transforming physical materials into political, social, and cultural statements regarding contemporary African practice.
* Materials used: Soil, concrete, roof paint, timber, sugar, felt, sequins, wire, and salvaged consumer goods.
* Featured artists include Athi-Patra Ruga, Elias Sime, Abdoulaye Konaté, Lungisa Gqunta, Chris Soal, and Walter Oltmann.
* Iziko Museums will support the exhibition with a public program, including walkthroughs, artist panels, and workshops.
* Information available at www.iziko.org.za.
Executive Summary
The Iziko Museums of South Africa is hosting the Matereality V2 exhibition at the Iziko South African National Gallery, opening on August 21, 2026, and running through June 2027. The exhibition features works from over 70 creators and more than 100 pieces spread across five rooms, showcasing contemporary African artistic practice by transforming physical materials into statements about identity, land, memory, ecology, and lived experience. The exhibition builds upon a previous iteration from 2020 that was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating artists utilize a wide range of materials, including soil, concrete, timber, sugar, felt, sequins, wire, and salvaged consumer goods, moving beyond traditional fine art mediums.
The exhibition features prominent figures such as Athi-Patra Ruga, Elias Sime, Abdoulaye Konaté, Lungisa Gqunta, Chris Soal, and Walter Oltmann, alongside emerging creators. Iziko Museums will support the event with a ten-month public program including walkthroughs, artist panels, and workshops. Information regarding ticketing and gallery hours is available at www.iziko.org.za.
Full Take
The framing of Matereality V2 positions material engagement as an inherently political act, challenging established artistic hierarchies by using industrial and everyday materials rather than traditional fine art media. The shift from relying on singular mediums to incorporating diverse, often discarded elements—soil, concrete, consumer goods—suggests a systemic critique embedded within the aesthetic choice itself. The exhibition functions not just as a display of objects but as an intervention into discussions surrounding identity, land, and ecological awareness in a contemporary context.
The reliance on established continental and international figures alongside emerging artists introduces a tension between historical artistic lineage and current, material-based practice. This juxtaposition implicitly suggests that the validity of artistic discourse is contingent upon the materials chosen. The underlying pattern observed is a deconstruction of the fine art/craft hierarchy, where the use of 'low' or industrial matter achieves high conceptual weight. The implications suggest that agency in contemporary practice resides in the selection and recontextualization of physical reality rather than adherence to established formal boundaries. What happens when institutional recognition follows material experimentation? How does prioritizing ephemeral materiality over permanence reshape the concept of cultural legacy?