Gavin Younge

Gavin Younge is a South African artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, writing and curatorial work. Younge’s work engages with themes of memory, history and the socio-political landscape of South Africa, particularly in relation to the enduring effects of apartheid. His practice reflects a sustained interest in the intersections between personal and collective histories, often exploring how trauma, identity and narrative are constructed and remembered within contemporary society.

Younge attained a Master’s degree in Fine Art in 1988 and has had a long-standing academic career. He is an Emeritus Professor in Fine Art at the University of Cape Town and previously served as Director of the Michaelis School of Fine Art. His contribution to the field extends beyond his studio practice, encompassing teaching, writing and curatorial engagement within the broader art community.

His sculptural work is characterised by the use of unconventional materials and processes, including cut paper, vellum and folded metal, through which he constructs intricate and conceptually layered forms. These works often address themes of violence, displacement and historical memory, translating complex socio-political concerns into materially sensitive and visually compelling installations.

Younge has exhibited widely both locally and internationally. He has participated in exhibitions at the Nirox Foundation Sculpture Park and in large-scale sculpture exhibitions at Everard Read Galleries in Cape Town and Johannesburg. His solo exhibitions include a vellum-based project presented in Paris and at Salses as part of the Monuments et Animaux cycle, as well as Water Matters (2016), presented by Ilse Schermers Gallery, which featured folded metal sculptures and a series of “redrawn geographies.”

His work has been recognised in several key publications on contemporary art, including Future Present: Art in the New South Africa by Sue Williamson and Ashraf Jamal, Jill Bennett’s Empathic Vision: Affect, Trauma, and Contemporary Art, and Maud de la Forterie’s essays Deep and Skin. In 2011, he received the Handspring Puppet Company Award for his collaborative work with Jane Taylor, and in 2012 he was awarded a University of Cape Town Creative Arts Award in recognition of the significant intellectual and artistic contribution his practice has made to contemporary art.