How four artists are reimagining migration, identity and belonging in Cape Town

Four emerging South African artists are exploring the themes of migration, identity, and belonging in a new Cape Town exhibition, Tiriparwendo, presented as part of the 2026 Nando’s Creative Exchange (NCX) programme. The exhibition will be held at the Hub Gallery from November 12, 2026, to January 22, 2027. The four artists - Bekezela Mabena, Luxolo Theophilus Witvoet, Mpumelelo Samantha Maseko, and Viola Greyling - each bring a unique perspective to the theme through their respective mediums, which include clay, painting, photography-inspired imagery, and mixed media.

Greyling, who has moved between countries and cities, creates ceramic pieces that reflect the layers of memory, longing, and re-rooting in a new environment. Witvoet, inspired by cinema and South African history, revisits undocumented migration stories through his own artistic interpretation, drawing from early photographic archives.

Mabena, based between Johannesburg and Zimbabwe, draws from his experiences as a child watching his brother draw, and uses clay and natural forms to explore connections between places and people. Greyling's works include three hanging stalactite forms with seeds emerging from them, each representing a particular landscape and moment in time.

Witvoet's work is deeply influenced by South African history, cinema, and his Xhosa heritage, while Mabena's work reflects on the experiences of moving between South Africa and Australia. Together, their work collectively delves into identity, memory, cultural belonging, and the experience of finding a place in the world.