Goodman Gallery represents over 30 prominent and emerging international artists from the African diaspora, whose works engage with post-colonial contexts and inspire social repair. Some of these artists include Ghada Amer, El Anatsui, Candice Breitz, Alfredo Jaar, Grada Kilomba, Kapwani Kiwanga, Shirin Neshat, Ernesto Neto, Tabita Rezaire, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Mikhael Subotzky and Hank Willis Thomas. Two ongoing curatorial initiatives have been created at this gallery: In Context, which explores tensions of place and belonging; and South-South, which examines connections between artists from the Global South.
Cape Town’s upcoming exhibition is Clive van den Berg’s Landscape Echoes, opening 10 August, comprising a series of evocative, gestural paintings that explore Van den Berg’s enduring themes of landscape, absence and echoes.
According to the gallery: ‘The landscapes serve as a departure point, transcending their physicality to evoke a haunting absence that resonates within the viewer’s consciousness. In this way, the works, with multiple modes of painting present, operate as a series of maps that guide viewers through imagined topographies and merged temporalities.’
The gallery not only has a history of facilitating greater social access to art, but it has also supported NGOs in the healthcare sector and is committed to advocating for human rights in South Africa. Since 2003 Goodman Gallery has raised £1.4 million for charities including Orange Babies, Red Cross and Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic.
Whether in Cape Town as a tourist or a local, this gallery is a great place to visit – not just in terms of entertainment, but for education. With regular exhibitions featuring artists who engage in a dialogue with the African context and Global South, there is always something new to learn.
Goodman Gallery, Cape Town is open Tuesday to Saturday; 37A Somerset Road, De Waterkant; goodman-gallery.com
