2025-06-10 | Senzeni Marasela: exhibition at (FADA) Gallery in Johannesburg

Our fellow Senzeni Marasela's exhibition 'Writing and Remembering' opened at (FADA) Gallery in Johannesburg on 7 June.

Born from the brutal exploitation of the land during South Africa’s gold rush and later concretised through apartheid-era segregationist planning, Johannesburg remains a contested site of memory and survival. In "Waiting and Remembering", VIAD Research Associate Senzeni Marasela reintroduces her alter ego Theodora – whose ongoing search of her missing husband Gebane serves as a metaphor for longing and existential displacement. Through intimate cartographic interventions, Marasela documents Theodora’s solitary journey through Johannesburg, locating her within a space of erasure, isolation and threat. The exhibition unfolds within the framework of Maru Musi, an anti-museum project conceptualised by Refilwe Nkomo, aimed at reimagining spaces of justice, belonging and black womanist memory.

Opening on 7 June 2025 at 11am, Senzeni Marasela’s "Waiting and Remembering" was presented in tandem with Heinrich Nieuman’s solo exhibition "Xenopolis" at the Faculty of Art Design and Architecture (FADA) Gallery. This landmark tandem exhibition invites audiences to experience the city through two distinct artistic perspectives, exploring themes of identity, displacement, and memory in a compelling visual dialogue.

Curated by Farieda Nazier, the exhibition positions Marasela and Nieuman’s work side-by-side to illuminate contrasting yet equally compelling perspectives of life in Johannesburg.

These exhibitions are supported by a robust public and academic programme, including artist walkabouts, school workshops, and panel discussions that invite the public into deeper engagement.

You can see the exhibition until 22 June.