Lawrence Lemaoana
SOLO SHOWS
2009
Red Cross Children’s Hospital Auction, Goodman Gallery , Cape Town, South Africa
Red Cross Children’s Hospital Auction, Goodman Gallery , Cape Town, South Africa
2008
Fortune Telling in Black, Red and White, Art Extra, Johannesburg, South Africa
FNB Johannesburg Art Fair, Art Extra booth, Johannesburg, South Africa
2007
Positive Show, Gallery Demosniel 89, Paris, France
Players of Colour, Gallery Demosniel 89, Paris, France
Hierarchy of colour, Absa Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Players of Colours, National Tour of Alliances Francaises in major South African cities
Impossible Monsters, Art Extra, Johannesburg, South Africa
2006
Players of Colour, Gordart Gallery, Johannesburg
GROUP SHOWS
2021 – 2022
The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
2020 – 2021
Sous le Fil, Les Abattoirs, Toulouse, France
2020
Gather, in collaboration with SMAC Gallery, Cape town, South Africa
Matereality, Iziko National South African Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
La peur au Ventre, Jerome Poggi Gallery, Paris France
2019
Yesterday is Today’s Memory, curated by Armelle Dakouo, Espace Commines, Paris, France
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London, UK
21 st Anniversary Exhibition of the Ampersand Foundation Awards, University of Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Bunka Kulcha, curated by Ashraf Jamal and Maria Fidel Regueiros, St Johns College, Johannesburg, South Africa
I was born a Foreigner, les Abattoirs Contemporary Art Program in the Occitan Region, Couvent des Minimes, Perpignan, France
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Industria, New York, USA
2018 – 2019
In This Imperfect Present Moment, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
2018
Ministry of Graphic Design, Fikra Graphic Design Biennial, Sharjah, UAE
Deviations, International Festival of Extraordinary Textiles, FITE, Bargoin Museum, Clermont Ferrand, France
Ravelled Threads, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Pioneer Works, New York, USA
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
2017 – 2018
A Change in the Narrative, ABSA Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
2017
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Somerset House, London, UK
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Pioneer Works, New York, USA
Art/ Afrique, le Nouvel Atelier, Being There, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France
Tous des Sang-mêlés, MAC VAL, Vitry sur Seine, France
Le Jour qui vient, Galerie des Galeries, Paris France
2016
1:54 African Contemporary Art Fair, Afronova, Somerset House, London, UK
The Art of Disruptions, IZIKO, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Art Textiles, The whitworth, Manchester, UK
Social Fabrics: African Textiles Today, William Morris Gallery, London, UK
1:54 African Contemporary Art Fair, Afronova, Pioneer Works, New York, USA
2015
1:54 African Contemporary Art Fair, Afronova, Somerset House, London, UK
1:54 African Contemporary Art Fair, Afronova, Pioneer Works, New York, USA
2014
1:54 African Contemporary Art Fair, Afronova, Somerset House, London, UK
Art in Embassies, Pretoria, South Africa
2013
My Joburg, Kunsthalle, Dresden, Germany
My Joburg, La Maison Rouge, Paris, France
Some Views of Africa, Studio La Città, Verona, Italy
2012
Me 3, Fried Contemporary Art Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa
2011
(Re)constructions, Contemporary Art from South Africa, Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Synthetic Ritual, Pitzer Art Galleries, Claremont, USA
2010
PEEKABOO – Current South Africa, Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
TXT artists investigating language, James Harris Gallery, Seattle, USA
Ampersand – A Dialogue of Contemporary Art from South Africa & the Daimler Art Collection, Daimler contemporary, Berlin, Germany
ATOPIA – Art and the City in the 21st Century, CCCB, Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
2009
Dystopia, Museum Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Adding Substractions, Bag Factory, Johannesburg, South Africa
Dystopia, Unisa Art Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa
Self/Not-self, Brodie/Stevenson, Johannesburg, South Africa
Beauty and Pleasure South African Contemporary Art, Stenersenmuseet, Oslo, Norway
2008
I Love Jozi, Reunion Island
2007
Positive: Pulse Art Show, Hall of Treasures, Sun City Sun International, South Africa
2006
40 x 40 x 40, Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Volksblad Festival,University Gallery, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Aardklop Festival, Snowflake, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Waste Art Exhibition, Rosebank Mall, Johannesburg, South Africa
A COMPANION TO FEMINIST ART
English
Published by John Wiley & Sons
2019
IDEA #386
English and Japanese
Published by Seibundo Shinkosha
2019
DEVIATIONS
French
Published by Festival International des Textiles Extra ordinaires
2018
ART AFRIQUE: BEING THERE
French and English
Published by Louis Vuitton Fondation
2017
LE JOUR QUI VIENT
French and English
Published by Couleurs Contemporaines
2017
TOUS DES SANGS MELES
French
Published by MAC VAL
2017
TEXTILE, CLOTH AND CULTURE Volume 15 Issue#4
English
Published by Taylor & Francis
2017
BARCLAYS L’ATELIER– 30 YEARS OF INTROSPECTION
English
Published by Black Africa Group
2016
ART_TEXTILES
English
Published by Whitworth Art Gallery
2015
ART_TEXTILES
English
Published by Whitworth Art Gallery
2015
MY JOBURG
French and English
Published by Fage
2013
ART AFRICA VOLUME 9 ISSUE #3
English
Published by Brendon and Suzette Bell-Roberts
2011
SYNTHETIC RITUAL
English
Published by Pitzer College Art Galleries
2011
PEEKABOO- CURRENT SOUTH AFRICA
English
Published by Helsinki City Art Museum’s Publications
2010
AMPERSAND – A DIALOGUE OF CONTEMPORARY ART FROM SOUTH AFRICA & THE DAIMLER ART COLLECTION
German / English
Published by Hirmer Munich
2010
German / English
Published by Hirmer Munich
2010
SOUTH AFRICAN ART NOW
English
Published by Harper Design
October 2009
English
Published by Harper Design
October 2009
Hidden Messages, Repeating Patterns, Futuress, August 2021
‘Freedom is a Stone’s Throw Away’: Lawrence Lemaona’s perversions of power, arts24, November 2020
Art World power couple Mary Sibande and Lawrence Lemaoana flying SA flag high, Business Live/ Wanted, May 2020
Lawrence Lemaoana: Threaded Histories, Textual Subversions, Artskop, April 2020
Searching for a New South African Identity, Exploring Visual Cultures, March 2020
Hier est la mémoire d’aujourd’hui à l’espace Commines, Le Tour de l’Art, November 2019
Expo, Hier est la Mémoire d’Aujourd’hui, Africa Vivre, November 2019
Avec la foire d’art contemporain 1-54, l’Afrique s’invite à Londres pour trois jours, Jeune Afrique, October 2019
Ministry of Graphic Design, Fikra Graphic Design Biennial 01, Idea Magazine, June 2019
Contemporary Artist Lawrence Lemaoana takes Cultural Travel to the next level, Wanted Magazine, June 2019
Through a Global Lens: Exploring Works on View at the First-Ever Manhattan Edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Culture Type, May 2019
Frieze Week 2019: Our Weekend Art Picks, Moniker Art Fair, CADAF, Alex Israel & More, The Culture Files, May 2019
Gallery Profile: AFRONOVA GALLERY, Omenka, May 2019
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair NY Marks 5 Years Making Manhattan’s Industria Its New Home, Okay Africa, April 2019
Joburg for Introverts – The Johannesburg City Library & Bridge Books in the CBD, Jozi Rediscovered, April 2019
Engage in 2D and 3D art, The Citizen, April 2019
Les Enfants de Steve Biko, Grazia Hommes, March 2019
Robyn Curnow’s Love Affair with South African Art, House and Leisure, March 2019
Psychology of Colour, Texture, Mail and Guardian, January 2019
In Pictures: Inside the Fikra Graphic Design Biennial 01, Architectual Digest Middle East, November 2018
First-Ever Fikra Graphic Design Biennial Takes Sharjah By Storm, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, November 2018
Joburg, capitale africaine de la culture, RFI, November 2018
The Value of Art Labour, Artseverywhere, October 2018
Artists and African Textiles – the Use and Meaning of Textiles in Contemporary African Art, TL Magazine, September 2018
Le textile en majesté à Clermont-Ferrand, Arts Hebdo Medias, September 2018
What to do in Seatle, In this imperfect Present Moment, Crosscut, August 2018
Ravelled Threads” Brings Contemporary Perspectives to Traditions in African Cloth, Art and Object, June 2018
Most Notable Representatives of African Fabric Art at Sean Kelly, Ideelart, June 2018
From Frieze to 1-54—Works to Buy from Contemporary African Artists, Artsy, May 2018
1-54 Art Fair to Bring a Diverse Set of African Perspectives Together in New York, Widewalls, April 2018
Fair game for non-fundis at Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Financial Mail, February 2018
Tumelo Mosaka’s Top 10 Cape Town Art Fair Picks, Wanted Business Day, February 2018
The Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award, Financial Mail, November 2017
8 Contemporary Artists You should know, Crafts Council, October 2017
Art contemporain: «1:54» à Londres, une foire devenue incontournable, RFI, October 2017
Paris’s Louis Vuitton Foundation showcases contemporary African art, France 24, April 2017
L’artiste sud-africaine Sue Williamson à la Fondation Vuitton, Le Monde, April 2017
Le tour de l’Afrique en trois étapes à la Fondation Vuitton, Le Figaro, April 2017
1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns, refreshed and renewed, to Red Hook, Blouin Art Info, May 2016
See the Top 10 Artists at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Artnet, May 2016
A Preview of this Week’s 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair New York, Okay Africa, May 2016
10 Artists We’re Eyeing at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Between 10 and 5, May 2016
South Africa’s hottest artists at 1:54 New York this Week, The South African, May 2016
11 Artists From London’s 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair On My Radar, Dynamic Africa, December 2015
Art_Textiles at the Whitworth Gallery: Buzzing with symbolism and struggle, Culture 24, October 2015
Subversive stitching: ‘Art_Textiles’ at The Whitworth, Manchester, Wallpaper, October 2015
Statue stands tall for the everyday heroine, Saturday Star, August 2015
City unveils monuments to SA’s struggle heroine, Official Website of the City of Joburg, August 2015
Retour au White Cube, mais dans la pierre noire, Amateur d’Art par Lunettes Rouges, Blog LeMonde.fr, August 2015 (French)
The World’s Largest Contemporary African Art Fair Comes to Brooklyn, VICE/ The Creator’s Project, May 2015
The Best Of 1:54 NY Contemporary African Art Fair 2015, okayafrica.com, May 2015A Contemporary African Art Fair Arrives in New York, hyperallergic.com, May 2015
1:54 African art fair makes New York debut, Art Radar Contemporary Art trends and news from Asia and beyond, May 2015
Top 10 Picks at 1:54 Fair by Char Jansen, Art Slant, May 2015
New York/le fiere. 1:54, ovvero l’arte africana sbarca a Red Hook. Ed è un’autentica rivelazion, Exibart.com, May 2015 (Italian)
Vibrant Voices at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, anothermag.com, October 2014
In Conversation with Lawrence Lemaoana, Art South Africa, June 2014
Why African art is having a renaissance, CNN, April 2010 (video)
Visions of Beauty and Pleasure from Africa, Dazed, May 2009
Lawrence Lemaoana, Art South Africa, December 2008
Lemaoana’s fabric of life, Mail and Guardian, October 2008
Fools Gold | 2020
For more information about the installation work, please contact the gallery
Kanga Textiles | 2008 – ongoing
For the Complete digital catalogue of the Kanga Textiles, please contact the gallery
Your Success beautifully reflected | 2013
For the digital catalogue, please contact the gallery
Democracy is Dialogue | 2015
For more information about this public sculpture, please contact the gallery
Drapetomania | 2020
For the digital catalogue, please contact the gallery
Resurrection series | 2008
For the Complete digital catalogue of the Kanga Textiles, please contact the gallery
Lawrence Lemaoana
Born in Johannesburg in 1982. Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lawrence Lemaoana critically engages with mass media in present-day South Africa. Seeing the relationship between media and the ‘people’ as inherently problematic, he identifies and repurposes existing control apparatuses using his trademark cynicism. Lemaoana’s embroidered works are emblazoned with appropriated political dictums woven in kanga fabric – a material with its own complex ancestry. Here, Lemaoana wages criticism on the agency of local media, and its ability to shape social consciousness: the result turns didactic and propagandistic tools on their head.
Sous le Fil, Les abattoirs, Toulouse, Tous des sang-mêlés, Musée d’art Contemporain du Val de Marne (MAC/VAL), Le Jour qui vient, Galerie des Galeries, Paris, Being There, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, The Art of Disruptions, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town…
His work features in prominent local and international collections, including Sindika Dokolo Fondation, Luanda, IZIKO South African National Gallery , Cape Town, Louis Vuitton Fondation, Paris, Lafayette Anticipation, Paris…