This exhibition traces her journey from the streets of Johannesburg’s inner city to her recognition as one of South Africa’s most resilient and spiritually grounded visual artists. Chief Curator Chepape Makgato joins Yolanda Maartens in the OFM Art Beat to discuss the exhibition, as well as the painting masterclass presented by Sophie, and the artist’s walkabout. 

The exhibition is on until 28 February 2026.

Whag is set to dedicate its third quarter of 2025 to a powerful celebration of artistic legacy, honouring the multidisciplinary work of Peters, born in 1968 in Kliptown, Johannesburg, in her first major museum retrospective, Running with the Wolves Whilst Playing with the Eagles.

The exhibition is a commitment to curatorial justice, highlighting the value of established artists – such as Peters – who have significantly shaped South African art history yet have often been marginalised from mainstream narratives. This highly anticipated show marks Peters’ first solo exhibition in over 20 years.

The retrospective’s captivating title serves as the conceptual anchor for Peters’ oeuvre. It speaks to a profound duality: the courageous spirit required to navigate danger, and the gentleness needed to nurture peace and tenderness. It is a poetic contradiction that defines a life lived under challenging circumstances – an artist both defiant and vulnerable.

Peters is a self-taught artist whose journey began during apartheid-era South Africa. She transformed scarcity into innovation, famously carving discarded tomato trays into makeshift linocut plates. Her vast practice spans printmaking, painting, ceramics, sculpture, murals, and illustration, all of which chronicle the lived experiences of Black South Africans with remarkable warmth, resilience, and humour.

Sophie Peters. Photo supplied

Peters emerged from the township-based art movement of the 1980s, belonging to a generation whose creative output bridged the repressive apartheid past and the fragile hope of democracy.

Through her vibrant, boldly rendered images of township life, women in dialogue, and children at play, she captures both the immediacy of the everyday and the profundity of the eternal. Her work is a vital part of the country’s printmaking heritage.

As Peters herself once shared with art historian Mario Pissarra, she uses art as a means of articulation: “When things go wrong, and nobody wants to talk about it … I make some art, and I let it go through the press, and there I tell my story.”

This statement confirms her role as an essential witness and storyteller, transforming silence into a powerful, poetic statement.

The William Humphreys Art Gallery.

Running with the Wolves Whilst Playing with the Eagles re-engages a new generation with Peters’ body of work, properly positioning her within the lineage of South African printmaking and the tradition of community-based art education. The exhibition illuminates her links to organisations such as the Community Arts Project (Cap) and her ceramics training with Barbara Jackson in Cape Town.

By blending key artworks, archival materials, and personal reflections, the show comprehensively maps the emotional and political landscape of an artist who masterfully transformed exclusion into expressive artistry.

Public events

Visitors are invited to deepen their engagement with Peters through a series of public events:

• Paintings Masterclass with Peters

  • Date: Friday, 28 November 2025

  • Time: 09:30 for 10:00

  • Fee: R350 per person (limited to 15 participants)

• Artist’s Walkabout

  • Date: Saturday, 29 November 2025

  • Time: 11:00

  • Peters will personally guide attendees through the exhibition, offering insights into the creation and meaning of key pieces.

Please confirm your attendance by contacting Zaakirah at zaakirah@whag.co.za or 053 831 1724.