Tyrone Appollis

Artist Name:Tyrone Appollis
Nationality:South African
Year of birth: 1957
Artist information:

Tyrone Appollis is a multidisciplinary artist whose work speaks directly to the ideals embodied by the Constitutional Court of South Africa: justice, reconciliation, dignity, and freedom of expression. A professional artist since the late 1970s, Appollis creates from the belief that “an artist must be of his time”—a conviction reflected in his vivid portrayals of everyday South African life during and after apartheid.

Born in Cape Town and shaped by the social realities of his identity as a "coloured" South African, Appollis’s practice engages the complexities of personal and collective memory in a country still healing from systemic injustice. He studied part-time at the Community Arts Project under Cecil Skotnes—an important figure in democratising art education—and at the Foundation School of Art in Observatory.

His compositions are often autobiographical, depicting the animated life of townships through scenes of movement, music, resistance, and resilience. As Appollis explains, “I consider political and social reconciliation to be an integral part of art. A cross-cultural dialogue, personal therapy, and communication to God.” These themes align powerfully with the Constitutional Court’s mandate to uphold human rights and foster social cohesion.

Also an accomplished poet and musician, Appollis’s work is a fusion of visual, musical and literary forms—what critic Mario Pissaro describes as “songs, poems and short stories as much as they are paintings.” His influences include Vincent van Gogh, Gerard Sekoto, and Bob Marley.

Appollis’s work is held in numerous public and private collections, both in South Africa and internationally, including in the CCAC, where art and justice are brought into active conversation.

Tyrone Appollis
Kalk Bay
CCAC# 0015