ART REDEFINED
With an increasing focus on African Art around the world, Eclectica Contemporary aims to present a carefully selected and focused collection of art from the continent that interrogates the issues facing us in a globalized world. The art at Eclectica often shows practices and materials familiar from art history but which push these boundaries and explore uncharted territories of representation, technique and theory.
Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Eclectica Contemporary sees itself as an African gallery with an international vision. We celebrate the diversity and depth of art making on our continent while aiming to contextualize this for a growing global market.
Our program of exhibitions shows a mix of solo shows by gallery artists alongside curated group shows. In addition, the Eclectica Contemporary exhibition space has facilities for experimental, new media and project-based works.
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”
“Black and white are the colors of photography. They symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is subjected.”
Everybody is looking at us
At no point in the history of painting has the black body been so exalted, fetishized, or scrutinised. I believed the matter to be one driven by colonial guilt, the attrition of white mythological power, and, in lieu of a more hybrid and global grasp of humanity, the need for revisionism. This greater inclusivity is certainly the case, but so is the ongoing commodification
Swirl and Conquer: The Master’s Gathering
Eclectica Contemporary is pleased to present Swirl and Conquer, a solo show by Ebenezer Samuel Akinola. Born in 1968 in Ibadan, Nigeria, Ebenezer Samuel Akinola is a leading voice in contemporary African art. He graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor's degree in painting from the University of Benin in 1989. Akinola's work challenges stereotypical narratives about Africa and Black culture,
In Afterland
Eclectica Contemporary is pleased to present In Afterland, a solo show by Lien Botha. Botha is one of the few South African artists who has been experimenting with the photographic medium beyond its documentary frame. Born in Gauteng, South Africa in 1961, she initially studied languages at the University of Pretoria and worked as a Press photographer for Beeld before moving to Cape Town
Part Black, Part Anomaly by Thando Phenyane | Tomorrows/Today at Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025
Eclectica Contemporary Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2025 We are thrilled to announce our participation in this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair’s Tomorrows/Today section, showcasing a new body of work “Part Black, Part Anomaly” by Thando Phenyane. With a proposition that is centered around Identity, space and belief systems, Thando Phenyane’s first solo presentation interprets and responds to the nuances that exist
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