Kendell Geers
Kendell Geers
Currently residing in Brussels, Belgium, the contemporary African artist Kendell Geers was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He changed his birth date to May, 1968 in order to give birth to himself as a work of art and as being part of a global social revolution.
Geers work is and always has been, politically charged, engaging with issues like colonialism, apartheid and power structures. His first major show at the Iziko National Gallery in Cape Town was called Heart of Darkness in 1993. Generally, he seeks to unsettle and disrupt, questioning morality and accepted codes of behaviour through his often shocking but profound artworks.
His work has been consistently shown in solo or group exhibitions all over the world as well as being included in shows like Documenta (11 and 14) or at Biennales such as Venice (1993) and many others from Taipei to Cuba and Istanbul to Sao Paolo. Both private collectors and public institutions have invested in his art. He also curates, publishes and performs... leaving very few creative outlets untouched by his own brand of activism.
Exhibitions
Kendell Geers has participated in many solo and group exhibitions.
Solo exhibitions include The Second Coming (Do What Thou Wilt), Rua Red, Dublin (2019); Kendell Geers 1988—2012, Haus der Kunst, Munich (2013); Irrespektiv, Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (SMAK), Ghent (2007); Heart of Darkness, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town (1993).
Group exhibitions include Art Unlimited, Art 42 Basel, Basel (2011); 52nd Venice Biennale (2007); Documenta 11, Kassel (2002).
Collections
Geers' work is featured in the collections of the Johannesburg Art Gallery; Magasin III, Stockholm; Haus der Kunst, Munich; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town; Centre Pompidou, Paris; The Art Institute of Chicago; SMAK, Ghent; National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), Athens; Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA), Antwerp.