Artwork by Adele van Heerden
Artist Biography:
Adele van Heerden (b. 1989) is a painter living and working in Cape Town, South Africa. Van Heerden’s
practice, characterised by her use of pencil and gouache on drafting film, is informed by the experience of a
particular site or place. Her recent body of work, ‘Mirror’ was dedicated to the careful observation and study
of surface, light, reflection and fluidity. Van Heerden graduated with a diploma in Fine Art from Ruth Prowse
School of Art (2010), a BA in History, Politics and Art History from the University of South Africa (2014), and
an Honours in Curatorship from the University of Cape Town (2015).
Solo exhibitions include Mirror (2024), Oceanic (2023) and Inside/Outside (2021) at 131 A Gallery (Cape
Town), Field Trip at David Krut Projects (Johannesburg, 2022), The Secret Life of Plants at Rust en Vrede
(Cape Town, 2022), Infinite Detail at Lizamore & Associates (Johannesburg, 2021) and In Memoriam at AVA
Gallery (Cape Town, 2018). Van Heerden's work has been included in group exhibitions at Gallery MOMO
(Cape Town), 131 A Gallery (Cape Town), Academie Galerie (Munich), David Krut Projects (Johannesburg),
Reshape 22: Future Art Histories (Latitudes Online), The UNESCO Centre (Paris), Lizamore & Associates
(Johannesburg), Salon 91 (Cape Town), Gallery 2 (Johannesburg) and 99 Loop Gallery (Cape Town).
Her work has also been shown at the Cape Town Art Fair (2022), Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg (2018,
2019) and notable exhibitions at the Woordfees Arts Festival, Stellenbosch (2019 & 2023) and the Klein
Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn (2020). Van Heerden has completed residencies at Cité
Internationale des Arts Paris (2020, 2023), Cape Town Art Residency (2024) and David Krut Projects (2021)
Van Heerden has served as a member of the board of the Arts Association of Bellville, Cape Town (2018–
2019) and the Friends of the Iziko South African National Gallery (2019–2024).
Artist Statement
I am interested in the relationships between built, human-made and natural environments, design and art,
as well as abstraction and figuration. My goal is to capture a moment, give shape to the experience and
connect with the feeling of a place.
My work, predominantly centred around urban, natural landscapes, waterscapes and interior spaces has
recently expanded into a visual exploration of the interplay between water and light. Water is a substance
that affects light, refracting and reflecting it. As a swimmer, I am drawn to municipal pools and coastal
shorelines, using my body, sketchbook, and camera to observe and engage. There is an autobiographical
component to my practice, a sort of abstracted narration I explore through translating this experience.
Painting water started when I was diagnosed with a hip condition that demanded surgery and a lot of
rehabilitation. Swimming is an embodied experience for me, where the body serves as a sensory apparatus
through which revelations are made.
Adele van Heerden (b. 1989) is a painter living and working in Cape Town, South Africa. Van Heerden’s
practice, characterised by her use of pencil and gouache on drafting film, is informed by the experience of a
particular site or place. Her recent body of work, ‘Mirror’ was dedicated to the careful observation and study
of surface, light, reflection and fluidity. Van Heerden graduated with a diploma in Fine Art from Ruth Prowse
School of Art (2010), a BA in History, Politics and Art History from the University of South Africa (2014), and
an Honours in Curatorship from the University of Cape Town (2015).
Solo exhibitions include Mirror (2024), Oceanic (2023) and Inside/Outside (2021) at 131 A Gallery (Cape
Town), Field Trip at David Krut Projects (Johannesburg, 2022), The Secret Life of Plants at Rust en Vrede
(Cape Town, 2022), Infinite Detail at Lizamore & Associates (Johannesburg, 2021) and In Memoriam at AVA
Gallery (Cape Town, 2018). Van Heerden's work has been included in group exhibitions at Gallery MOMO
(Cape Town), 131 A Gallery (Cape Town), Academie Galerie (Munich), David Krut Projects (Johannesburg),
Reshape 22: Future Art Histories (Latitudes Online), The UNESCO Centre (Paris), Lizamore & Associates
(Johannesburg), Salon 91 (Cape Town), Gallery 2 (Johannesburg) and 99 Loop Gallery (Cape Town).
Her work has also been shown at the Cape Town Art Fair (2022), Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg (2018,
2019) and notable exhibitions at the Woordfees Arts Festival, Stellenbosch (2019 & 2023) and the Klein
Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn (2020). Van Heerden has completed residencies at Cité
Internationale des Arts Paris (2020, 2023), Cape Town Art Residency (2024) and David Krut Projects (2021)
Van Heerden has served as a member of the board of the Arts Association of Bellville, Cape Town (2018–
2019) and the Friends of the Iziko South African National Gallery (2019–2024).
Artist Statement
I am interested in the relationships between built, human-made and natural environments, design and art,
as well as abstraction and figuration. My goal is to capture a moment, give shape to the experience and
connect with the feeling of a place.
My work, predominantly centred around urban, natural landscapes, waterscapes and interior spaces has
recently expanded into a visual exploration of the interplay between water and light. Water is a substance
that affects light, refracting and reflecting it. As a swimmer, I am drawn to municipal pools and coastal
shorelines, using my body, sketchbook, and camera to observe and engage. There is an autobiographical
component to my practice, a sort of abstracted narration I explore through translating this experience.
Painting water started when I was diagnosed with a hip condition that demanded surgery and a lot of
rehabilitation. Swimming is an embodied experience for me, where the body serves as a sensory apparatus
through which revelations are made.
