Unlike traditional museum collections confined to institutional walls, ArtbankSA operates as a dynamic platform that circulates emerging artists’ work through leasing and sales to collectors and the general public. This exhibition captures the essence of this fluid model, presenting works that exist in active dialogue with diverse spaces and communities. 

Beyond Walls reveals urgent themes coursing through contemporary South African art: intergenerational knowledge transmission, cultural custodianship, memory’s contested territories, and identity’s continuous formation. 

Yolanda de Kock, collections manager at Oliewenhuis, joins Yolanda Maartens in the OFM Art Beat with all the details of Beyond Walls, which is on until 6 April 2026.

The art of the intimate reckoning: finding ourselves in ‘Beyond Walls’

Walking into a gallery is often an act of looking outward, but Beyond Walls: Emerging Contemporary Voices demands that we look inward. 

Through a stunning collection of clay, charcoal, and indigenous symbolism, these artists are mapping the messy, beautiful process of becoming.

Portals to the past

The exhibition opens a dialogue with history that feels both ancient and urgent.

• Bheki Sibiya uses indigenous symbols to encode ancestral wisdom, reminding us that time isn’t just linear; it’s a repository of knowledge.

• Hlavutelo Ngobeni complements this with clay vessels that feel heavy with the weight of ritual, acting as physical bridges to centuries of tradition.

The weight of what we carry

Several artists dive deep into the psychological landscapes of modern life. One of the most arresting pieces is Thalente Khomo’s introspection “Usofa”. In this photograph, a figure in white sits in a space that feels suspended in time. Surrounded by childhood objects, the piece explores how the things we leave behind often become the very portals we use to revisit our memories.

In a more visceral exploration of the mind, Asiphile Luthuli uses large-scale charcoal drawings to give a face to the invisible. Through intense, masterful mark-making, Luthuli makes the heavy sensations of stress and depression visible, turning internal struggle into a powerful external statement.

Perhaps the most striking metaphor for the human condition comes from Tshogofatso Nkhumeleng. By drawing parallels between human determination and rats navigating a labyrinth, Nkhumeleng suggests that our “destination” isn’t dictated by where we start or what we’ve been through. It is an exploration of survival; pure, resilient, and defiant.

Why this matters now

The core of Beyond Walls is a question we all face: what do we keep, and what do we let go?

This isn’t art that sits quietly on a wall. It is a living conversation about inheritance, identity, and resilience. How do we handle the weight of familial expectations? When do we stop accepting “received” identities and start creating our own? And, how do we find peace amidst the relentless pressure of contemporary life?

Beyond Walls proves that the future of South African visual culture isn’t found in grand, loud declarations. Instead, it’s found in these intimate reckonings. It’s an invitation to see your own story reflected in the charcoal and clay and to realize that, like art, we are never fixed in place. We are always moving, always shifting, and always becoming.

Exhibition details

The exhibition can be viewed until Monday, 6 April. Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein, and is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays between 09:00 and 16:00. 

For more information, contact the Museum at 078 968 4300 or oliewen@nasmus.co.za. 

This exhibition not only offers a viewing experience but also provides an opportunity to acquire contemporary artworks. For more information about ArtbankSA and artwork acquisition, please visit www.artbanksa.org or contact Innocent Moche at apm@artbanksa.org or 051 447 9606.