The William Humphreys Art Gallery presents Ditaba – 80 Albert Street, a landmark solo exhibition by South African artist Elias Ditaba Sewape, opening on 28 May.

Meaning “news” in Sepedi, Ditaba explores how art can carry memory, lived experience, and social history. Through paintings and printmaking, Sewape reflects on themes of labour, resilience, spirituality, and community, while tracing the evolution of his artistic practice over more than four decades.

Central to the exhibition is 80 Albert Street, a site deeply connected to the artist’s creative journey. Once an apartheid-era administrative building associated with pass books and state control, the space is reimagined through Sewape’s work as a place of expression, remembrance, and reclaiming identity.

Blending figuration and abstraction with richly textured surfaces and symbolic imagery, the exhibition highlights Sewape’s significant contribution to South African printmaking. 

Importantly, Ditaba – 80 Albert Street marks the first solo exhibition of his career, offering audiences a rare and intimate insight into one of the country’s enduring artistic voices.