LUAN NEL

(b. 1971, South Africa)

Nel was born in 1971, and matriculated from De Kruin Art School, Johannesburg. He received his BA (FA) in 1993 and his Higher Diploma in Education in 1994 from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Nel won the Judge’s Prize in the SASOL New Signatures Competition in 1993. In 1998 and 1999 he participated in an artist’s residency at the Rijks Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam and a research residency at the Dutch Institute in Rome in 1999. He has had many solo exhibitions and participated in various group shows. His work can be found in public collections in South Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

Many of Nel’s works revolve around the concept of memory – how it can convey meaning (often related to identity), as well as how it sometimes fails in this and other roles. He often deals with history and loss, both personal  or the collective.

EDUCATION  

1993       B.A. Fine Arts, University of the Witwatersrand

Winner of the SASOL New Signatures Competition.

1994       Higher Diploma in education (Postgraduate), University of the Witwatersrand

1998       Artist residencies at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam

1999       Research Residency at Dutch Institute, Rome

EXHIBITIONS  

2013     Twitter, Solo exhibition at The Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

                Black Swan, Group exhibition curated by Dawid Ras, Johannesburg, South Africa

2012      SWALLOW two person exhibition with Joachim Schonfeldt at Nirox, Arts on Main, Johannesburg, South Africa

2011      Aviary, Solo exhibition at Brundyn+Gonsalves gallery (project space) Cape Town, South Africa

2010      Juncture, Three person exhibition with Nigel Mullins and Tanya Poole at Artspace Berlin, Berlin, South Africa

2008      Silent Exit, Solo exhibition at AOP gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Muse, at The Klein Karoo Arts Festival - Oudtshoorn and Brundyn+Gonsalves Gallery - Cape Town, South Africa

2006      De Grote Oversteek, at the Stijdelik Museum in Zwolle, the Netherlands, curated by Pauline Berman, South Africa

                New Redruth revisited, Solo exhibition at the Art on Paper Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Smallville SA, Solo exhibition at the KZNSA Gallery, Durban, South Africa

                Finalist in the ABSA Ateliers competition, Cape Town and Johannesburg. Also selected for the exhibition at the Aardklop Festival in Potchefstroom, South Africa

                Red Cross Children's Hospital Fund Auction, organised by The Goodman Gallery, South Africa

2005      Hobby Heroes, solo exhibition, Bell-Roberts gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

                Participated in a group exhibition of past winners of the SASOL New Signatures competition at the Aardklop festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

                Surface, Group Exhibition, Gallery Franchise, curated by Lara Rivera, Johannesburg, South Africa

2004      RED, inaugural group exhibition, Gallery Mojo Modern, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Brett Kebble Art awards, Group Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa

                Red Cross Children's Hospital fund exhibition and auction facilitated by the Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

2003     Still Life, a joint exhibition with Hentie van der Merwe, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2002      Silence/Violence, curated by Greg Streak in collaboration with Ibis Art Center N.S.A, Gallery, Durban, South Africa

2001      8989km  Every Time, Crown Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

                Kwyt, sixth solo exhibition, Villa de Bank, Enschede, the Netherlands

                Onthou en Vergeet, solo exhibition, Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

2000     Tour Guides to the Inner City, curated by Stephen Hobbs for the Urban Futures Project, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Lost, fourth solo exhibition, Market Theatre Galleries, Johannesburg, South Africa

                SASOL New Signatures Revisited, curated by Clive van den Berg and Theresa Lizmore for the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

1999      Dutch Landscape: The Sea, Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Open Ateliers, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Ilya Rabinovich…Luan Nel, Kischiniev-Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Sad Songs, curated by Bojan Sersevic, London, UK

                Afro Vibes, fundraising exhibition, Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Sailors Delight, at the Jim Beard Gallery in Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Oos Wes Tuis Bes, Oudtshoorn Festival, curated by Mark Coetzee and Liza Hugo, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

1998      Open Ateliers, Rijksakademie ven Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Milk, solo project at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands

                Lost, solo installation at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1997      Taking Stock, curated by Marco Ciafinelli, Luan Nel, Andrea Burgener, and facilitated by the French Institute of South     Africa held on the old Trading Floor of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Johannesburg, Netherlands

                Lifetimes - An exhibition of South African Art, curated by Ruth Sacks and Nima Jacobson, part of the ‘Out of Africa’ cultural festival hosted by the Art Bureau of Munich, Germany

                A Little Big Show, curated by Gordon Froud, the Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

                4 Rooms, curated by Hentie van der Merwe, Carla Dawson, Antoinette Murdoch, Steven Hall and Inayet Motara, at the Civic Gallery Johannesburg, South Africa

                Collecting Ourselves, Alumni exhibition, Gertrude Posel Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Cyst Works in Paint, curated by Clare Menck and Johann Louw at The Good Hope Gallery of the Castle, Cape Town and Sandton Civic Gallery Johannesburg, South Africa

                Paper, solo exhibition at the Mark Coetzee Fine Art Cabinet, Cape Town, South Africa

                Kempton Park exhibition, Kempton Park, South Africa

                Landscape from South Africa, Four Points of View, Gallery Art First, Cork Street, London, South Africa

                Five-ism, curated by Jeanette Engelbrecht at the Open Window Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

                Annual Open Exhibition of the Royal Over-Seas League, London and Edinburgh, UK

                (Number 4), exhibition at the Old Fort, Johannesburg, South Africa

1996     Centre, held at the Carlton Center, 6^th floor parking lot, Johannesburg. This one night exhibition involved the concept of ‘the event’ transforming the city through murals, performances and music.

                 A Little Show of Drawers, curated by Dianne Victor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa

                Local Colour Shoppers guide to Jo’burg, curated by Karen Harber, Gertrude Posel Gallery, South Africa

                A Happening, a multi media event involving installations and performance art held at the French Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa

                1 x 10, the inaugural show of the Hanel Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

                Twinkle Sea Project, Cape Town, co-curated the Funk Room and Brian Webber

                Common and Uncommon Ground, S.A. Art to Atlanta (Olympic Games), City Gallery East, Atlanta Georgia, USA

1995     Unplugged, curated by Kendell Geers, Market Theatre Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

                Panoramas of Passage, curated by Clive van den Berg, Meridian International Centre, Washington D.C., in association with WITS‘Gay Rites, Gay Writes, Rewrites’, Maarten Melkhuis Gallery, in association with the Royal Dutch Embassy, Cape Town, Oliewenhuis, Bloemfontein, Gertrude Posel Gallery, Johannesburg

1994      Lumps of Metal, first solo exhibition, held at Johannesburg Planetarium, also incorporated a performance piece featuring Joyce Theunissen, South Africa

                A Moving Experience, the Unitrans exhibition, art in transport, Everard Read Contemporary Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

1993     Murder in them What They Want, winner SASOL New Signatures art Competition

                Arts Alive Mural Project, painted three murals on Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa

COLLECTIONS

SASOL Collection

Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam

University of the Witwatersrand

Sandton Art Gallery

Gauteng Legislature

Johannesburg Art Gallery

BHP Billiton SA

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Mark Kardol, Amsterdam

Jack Hamburger, Scheviningen

Ian McKellan, London

Greg Jacobson, Johannesburg

Neil Pendock, Johannesburg

Brian Gilbertson, Johannesburg

Jack Ginsberg, Johannesburg

Howard Sack, Cape Town