Anthracite is pleased to present Ex Situ: A Snapshot of Contemporary South African Abstraction, a group exhibition curated in collaboration with Hamzeh Alfarahneh.

The exhibition seeks to showcase the rich history and diverse expressions of abstract art in South Africa, highlighting the complex interactions and influences that have shaped its evolution.

Abstract forms have deep roots in Southern Africa, with artifacts predating European modernist movements. Artifacts found in South Africa's Blombos Cave, dating back 73,000 years, illustrate this consciousness of abstraction. Additionally, traditional African art forms such as beadwork, wirework, and safety-pin cloths demonstrate a deep-rooted engagement with abstraction, emphasizing volume, form, pattern, and design.

Research for this exhibition reveals that the history of abstraction in South Africa is intricate and multifaceted, resisting a single, linear narrative. Many artists, including Sam Nhlengethwa, Penny Siopis, Mawande Ka Zenzile, and Zander Blom, who are featured in this exhibition, have moved between figuration and abstraction throughout their careers, reflecting the fluid nature of artistic expression.

Ex Situ addresses the oversaturation of figurative African art in the European and Swiss art scenes, providing a critical counterpoint while fostering deeper engagement and dialogue between these two artistic ecologies, both commercially and institutionally. The exhibition invites viewers to rethink familiar narratives around African art, challenging assumptions and fostering a fresh perspective on contemporary abstraction.

Where earlier critiques of South African abstract art often focused on its formal qualities and perceived lack of representational depth, today’s practitioners embrace a wider range of conceptual and thematic foundations. The exhibition is structured around three primary themes: extractionism, expressionism, and geometric abstraction.

Extractionism, a term developed for this exhibition, connects contemporary abstraction to natural and urban environments, revealing the influence of both on artistic expression. This theme forms the core of the exhibition, with works by Bronwyn Katz, Mawande Ka Zenzile, Inga Somdyala, and Bella Knemeyer. Expressionism is highlighted through works by Penny Siopis and Zander Blom, whose visually contrasting approaches nevertheless share a commitment to process-driven creation over predetermined outcomes. Geometric abstraction is explored through Sam Nhlengethwa’s first-exhibited non-figurative works and Zander Blom’s experiments in geometric expressionism, alongside Inga Somdyala’s exploration of overlaps between extractionism and geometric abstraction.

Unathi Mkonto’s practice, with its expressive field lines, spatial explorations, and structural interpretations of water, embodies all three themes as part of FEATURED, an initiative that highlights emerging practices.

The exhibition aspires to open doors to more comprehensive shows illustrating South Africa's rich and often tumultuous history with abstraction. Accompanying Ex Situ is an essay by Hamzeh Alfarahneh titled South African Abstraction: From Then to Now. This essay offers essential context and background on the history of South African abstraction, enriching viewers’ understanding by weaving together past influences with the vibrant, present-day practices seen in the exhibition.

Download: South African Abstraction: From Then to Now, by Hamzeh Alfarahneh.