At HangarBicocca the first solo exhibition in an Italian institution by South African Dineo Seshee Bopape

From October 6, 2022 to January 29, 2023, Pirelli HangarBicocca will host the first solo exhibition in an Italian institution by Dineo Seshee Bopape, curated by Lucia Aspesi and Fiammetta Griccioli. Born in the first light of the morning [moswara’marapo], this is the title of the exhibition, presents a large body of work and new productions by the South African artist, placing the visitor within historical references and different geographical contexts. The exhibition project aims to explore themes and subjects central to her art: from the relationships between ritual, spirituality and nature, to reflections on traditional healing practices and forms of political resistance.

The work of Dineo Seshee Bopape (Polokwane, South Africa, 1981; lives and works in Johannesburg) is characterized by the use of organic and highly symbolic materials that refer to concepts of memory, identity and belonging. Earth is one of the most recurring elements of his language, which mixed and worked with coal, ash, clay, gives life to environmental installations. Starting from her own experience related to her country of origin, South Africa, the artist weaves narratives that investigate archetypes and mythologies in which the female figure assumes a central role. Combining digital and analog aesthetics, her work incorporates diverse media, such as sculpture, drawing, video, and sound, in a poetic approach that finds its origins in matter.

Solo exhibitions of Dineo Seshee Bopape have been held at several international institutions, including the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (2021); Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, Darling Foundry, Montreal (2017); Art in General, New York, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2016); Hayward Gallery Project Space, London (2015); August House, Johannesburg (2014).

In 2019, she was among the artists to represent South Africa at the 58th. Venice Biennale. She received the Artes Mundi Prize in 2021, the Future Generation Prize and the Sharjah Biennial 13 Prize in 2017.

The exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca is accompanied by the first monograph dedicated to the artist, which contains critical contributions from international art historians and theorists, as well as extensive documentation of the exhibition project.

For info: https://pirellihangarbicocca.org/

Image: Dineo Seshee Bopape, Untitled (of Occult Instability) [Feelings] (2016 - 2018; installation view, 10th Berlin Biennale, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, 2018). Courtesy of the artist and Jabu Arnell, Mo Laudi, Robert Rhee, and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg/Beirut. Photo by Timo Ohler.

At HangarBicocca the first solo exhibition in an Italian institution by South African Dineo Seshee Bopape

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