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Willie
Bester is regarded as one of our most important resistance artists.
He incorporates recycled material into his paintings, assemblages
and sculpture, usually commenting on political injustices and
human rights issues of the day.
Born 1956, Montagu, Cape |
| Studies
:
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1986 Community Arts Project, Cape Town
1991 Full-time professional artist
No formal art training : Mostly self-taught
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| Solo
Exhibitions:
(info. provided by
www.vgallery.co.za) |
| 1982
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Forum, Cavendish Square,
Cape Town
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| 1991
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Gallery International, Cape Town
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1992
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Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
Millpark, Port Elizabeth
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1993
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South African Association of Art, Cape Town
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1994
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Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
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1998
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Emporain, Dakar
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1999
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Opere Recenti, Studio d'Arte
Raffaelli, Trento, Italy
Archivio Della Scuola Romana, Introdotto da Achille Bonito Oliva,
Roma, Italy
ARTE FIERA, Torino
ARTE FIERA, Bolongna
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| 2000
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Arte Assortite, Torino
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| 2001
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Brussels Contemporary
Center, Belgium
Grahamstown Featured artist
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
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| 2002
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SASOL
Museum, Stellenbosch
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| 2003
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Studio d'Arte Raffaelli,
Trento, Italy
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| 2005
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34
Long, Cape Town
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| Group
Exhibitions: |
| 1989
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Baxter Gallery, Cape Town
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1990
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Gallery International, Cape Town
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| 1990
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Institute for African Studies, University of Cape Town
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| 1990
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Jacobs & Liknaitsky Gallery, Cape Town
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1991
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Operation Hunger Exhibition, Cape Town
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| 1991
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Dorp Street Gallery, Stellenbosch
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| 1991
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Gallery International, Cape Town
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1991
- 1992
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ZABALAZA FESTIVAL, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. ( This exhibition
traveled to London and other British centres and was subsequently shown in South Africa at the
S.A.
National Gallery, Cape Town)
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1992
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Primart Gallery, Cape Town
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1993
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Venice Biennale, INCROCI DEL SUD : An exhibition of works by 27 contemporary South
African Artists
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1993
- 1994
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INCROCI DEL SUD, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
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1994
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UN ART CONTEMPORIAN D'AFRIQUE DU
SUD, Galerie De L'Esplanade, La Defence, Paris
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1994
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UN ART CONTEMPORIAN D'AFRIQUE DU
SUD, Galerie De Ballens, Ballens, Switzerland
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1994
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HEIMAT PROJECT, Grahamstown Art Festival
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1994
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Stallion Gallery, Kentucky, USA
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1994
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5th Havana Biennale, Cuba
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1994
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Art Salon at The Bay, Camps Bay, Cape
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1994
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Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany
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1994
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CENTRO DE ARTE MODERNO, Las Palmas
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1995
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DIALOGUES OF PEACE, Exhibition for the UN's 50th
Anniversary, Palaise Des Nations,
Geneva |
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1995
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Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London
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1995
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Africa '95 Festival, London
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1995
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Art Salon at The Bay, Camps Bay, Cape
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1995
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De Kleur van Verandering Exhibition, The Hague, Netherlands
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1996
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Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, USA
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1996
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Basel Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland
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1996
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Simunye ( we are one ) exhibition, Adelson Gallery, New York
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1996
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Tradition in Tradition, October Gallery, London
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1996
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Contemporary Art from South Africa, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
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1996
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Contemporary S.A. Art 85 - 95, South African National Gallery, Cape
Town
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1996
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South African Art to Atlanta, City Gallery East, Atlanta, USA
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1996
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OTRO PAIS : ESCALAS
AFRICANAS, Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona
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1996
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The other journey ( Africa and the Diaspora),
Kunsthalle, Krems, Austria
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1996
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Seven Artists from South Africa, Boumani Gallery, San Francisco
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1997
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Galleria d'Art Moderna e Contemporanea di San Marino, San Marino
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1997
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Lift Off, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
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1997
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South Africa, Kohn Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
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1997
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Not Quite a Xmas Show, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
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1997
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Art Salon, The Bay Hotel, Caps Bay
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1998
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Biennale de l'Art
Contemporian, Dakar, Senegal
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1998
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The Edge of Awareness,
World Health Organization, Geneve,
Switzerland, New York, Soa Paulo, New Delhi
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1998
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Still our Land, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, joint with Zwelethu
Mthethwa
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1998
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Project Conflux, Tendances Mikado Gallery, Luxembourg
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1998
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Project Conflux, Hotel de Ville, Dijon, France
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1998
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Association
for Visual Arts, Cape Town
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1999
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Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
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1999
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Rewind/Fast Forward, Van Reekum Museum of Modern Art,
Appeldoorn,
Netherlands
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1999
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Claiming Art Reclaiming Space, National Museum of African Art,
Washington DC.
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1999
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Studio d'Arte Raffaelli,
Trento, Italy
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1999
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Artery, Joao Ferreira Fine Art, Cape Town
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2000
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Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, New York
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2000
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Project Conflux, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
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2001
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Barcelona
Contemporary Cultural Center, Spain
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| 2001
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Studio d'Arte Raffaelli,
Trento, Italy
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| 2002
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Centro Culturale "Trevi", Bolzano
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| 2002
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Sculpture Biennale,
Spier Estate, Stellenbosch
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| 2002
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National
Art Gallery of Malaysia
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| 2002
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King
George VI Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth
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| 2003
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Suidoos
Festival, Peninsula Techikon, Cape Town
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| 2003
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'Coexistence-
Contemporary Cultural Production in South African' Rose Art
Museum, USA
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| 2004
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Dublin
Exhibition
10
Years - Klein Karoo Arts Festival, Outshoorn
Palais des Beaux-Arts de Charleroi, Belgium
Exhibition and auction of reworked milk-cans, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
' The ID
of South African Artists ', Amsterdam, exhibition
accompanying the musical, The Lion King
' Africa Remix ', Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf
Two Man Show,
Association
for Visual Arts, Cape Town
Iwalewa-Haus, Afrikazentrum der Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth – Germany
Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
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| 2004-06
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Africa Screams – The Evil and the Uncanny in Cinema and Art
(Travelling exhibition)
Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna – Austria
Kunstverein Aalen, Aalen - Germany
Museum der Weltkulturen Frankfurt, Frankfurt – Germany
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| 2005
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'
Africa Remix ', Hayward Gallery, London
' Africa Remix ', Centre Pompidou, Paris
African Art Now : Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection
Museum of Fine Art Houston Houston - USA
Arts of Africa, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco - France
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| 2006
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'
Africa Remix ', Mori Art Museum, Tokio
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| Awards: |
| 1991
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Merit Prize :
Cape Triennial
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| 1992
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Prix De
L'Aigle, 4th Grand Prix International D'Arts Plastiques de la
Vlille de Nice, France
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| 2003
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Honorary
medal for promotion of Fine Arts:
Suid Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns
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| 2004
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Order of the
Disa, Members Class, Government of South Africa
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| 2006
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The Order of Ikhamanga, Silver
- Government of South Africa
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| Represented: |
SASOL
Limited, Johannesburg
South African National Gallery, Cape Town
Johannesburg Art Gallery
King George VI Gallery, Port Elizabeth
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
University of South Africa, Pretoria
Department of National Education, Pretoria
Department of Foreign Affairs, Pretoria
Cape of Good Hope Bank, Cape Town
Rembrandt Van Rijn Collection, Stellenbosch
South African Breweries Collection, Johannesburg
South African Broadcasting Corporation ( SABC TV ), Cape Town
South African Broadcasting Corporation ( SABC TV ), Johannesburg
SANLAM, Cape Town
WOOLTRU, Cape Town
MTN Collection, Cape Town
ENGEN, Cape Town
METROPOLITAN LIFE, Cape Town
Human Science Research Council, Cape Town
Cape Provincial Libraries, Cape
Foschini Ltd. Parow, Cape
GENCOR S.A., Johannesburg
Durban Art Gallery, Durban
Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria
Contemporary African Art Collection, Paris
Vodacom, Cape Town
Smithsonian Inst. USA
Oceana Fishing Group, Cape Town
NASPERS, Cape Town
Zonnebloem Art Collection, Stellenbosch
DE BEERS Collection, Johannesburg
BOE Bank, Cape Town
Willie's work is also in numerous private collections in South
Africa and abroad.
|
| Publications:
(info. provided by
www.vgallery.co.za) |
BERMAN, E.,
1993. PAINTING IN SOUTH AFRICA. Page 363. Halfway
House, Transvaal : Southern Book Publishers. ( ISBN
1-86812-345-6 )
BOGATZKE, H., BROCKMANN, R., LUDSZUWEIT, C.
2000. ONDAMBO - African Art Forum. Page 30 - 49, Page
174 - 177. Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers ( Pty ) Ltd. ( ISNB 99916-0-211-9 )
FRANK, H. &
D'AMATO, M., 1999. LIBERATED VOICES, Contemporary
art from South Africa. Page 27. New York, London,
Prestel, Munich : The Museum of African Art. ( ISBN
3-7913-2195-1 )
KONATE, Y., 2001.
WILLIE BESTER. Bruxelles : Centre D'Art Contemporain
LITTLEFIELD KASFIR, S., 1999. CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN
ART. Page. 159 -161. London : Thames & Hudson. (
ISBN 0-500-20328-8 )
MAGNIN, A. & SOULILLOU, J., 1996. CONTEMPORARY
ART OF AFRICA. Pages 155 - 156, Page 158. New York &
London : Thames a Hudson.
( ISBN 0-500-01713-1 )
RANKIN, E., 1994. IMAGES OF METAL, Post-War
Sculptures and Assemblages in South Africa. Pages 89 - 92.
Johannesburg : Witwatersrand University Press, University of
Witwatersrand Art Galleries. ( ISBN 1 86814 257 4 )
WILLIAMSON, S. & JAMAL, A., 1996. ART
IN SOUTH AFRICA - THE FUTURE PRESENT. Pages 134 - 139.
Claremont, South Africa : David Philip Publishers ( Pty )
Ltd. ( ISBN 0-86486-321-7 )
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