To Breathe and Pause: The Stellenbosch Triennale invites you to Rehearse for the Future

The Stellenbosch Triennale debuted in 2020 with a bold vision: to elevate Stellenbosch as a premier destination for multidisciplinary art in Africa and to create a platform where public art and creativity engage critically with society. The inaugural event set a high standard with its array of provocative installations and performances that challenged visitors to rethink their surroundings and themselves.

Building on this foundation, the 2025 edition seeks to push boundaries even further. As Chief Curator Mbongwa explains, “For this Triennale I want us to enter into a rehearsal space as a way of imagining how we can co- create in the real world, how exhibition making in itself is a rehearsal space for the things we want to do. And as such, I have invited artists to make their work on-site over a 10-day period that can be recycled or disintegrated back to land after the Triennale so as to minimise my carbon footprint by not transporting artworks back and forth. In this way, we get to enact a playfulness in the making and witnessing the work.” This commitment to sustainability and process forms part of the curators practice of Care & Cure. Mbongwa – a Stellenbosch university alumnus who works within public realm, interventions and interdisciplinary practices – in this project heeded the call from her ancestors to mediate on themes that explore spirit, breath and improvisation. “I am in the labour of my purpose. My work is always expansive and a deep-time conversation with amadlozi (ancestors), uNkulunkulu (God/Source), and Abahlali (the collective of beings); as I move through and in the world, I’m invited into different geographical locations and called into spiritual ancestral indigenous conversations,” explains Mbongwa.

A Tradition of Artistic Innovation.

The inaugural Stellenbosch Triennale took place at the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which cut the Triennale’s duration short and changed many lives. Project Director and Trustee, Andi Norton, draws parallels to this year’s exhibition sub-theme of rehearsal. “We had no idea that it would only be open for such a short time in 2020, we had worked hard and sacrificed so much and to have it all be shut down so soon was devastating. It was only after a year or two that we could start exploring doing another one.” Norton continues, “Only now can we look back on it and see the incredible rehearsal space that it was for us. Through the theme, the curator is giving us, the organisers and artists, permission to experiment and play.” The theme, BA’ZINZILE: A Rehearsal for Breathing, invites artists and audiences alike to contemplate the act of breathing — both a fundamental physical process and a metaphor for resilience and survival. “Breathing in states of duress, breathing through wounds,” reflects Mbongwa in her curatorial statement, “we persist, we insist, we improvise our existence in a world that often feels like it’s losing its breath.” Informed by the Nguni concept of UKU’ZINZA — being grounded and calm — the theme explores stillness as a mechanism for survival, a strategy for imagination, and an act of aliveness. In a time when breathlessness is a global experience, the Triennale positions itself as a space for reflection, recovery, and preparation for a different future.

A Dynamic and Interactive Experience.

Unlike traditional art exhibitions, the Stellenbosch Triennale 2025 will be a living, breathing entity, constantly evolving over its two-month duration. The intention is to invite our visitors to enter a rehearsal space with us, where some works will exist in a space of improvisation, some in the space of composition and intervention, others in exploration – in the ways we negotiate our breath and ultimately our aliveness. Assistant Curator Dr Mike Mavura adds, “We wanted the artists to think of breath in multiple ways in relation to the human body and to start to think of breath in expanded ways; what happens when you breathe deeply? What happens when you are short of breath And then, what happens when you can’t breathe?” This conceptual framework will be evident in the diverse array of mediums on display, from visual art and sculpture to sound installations, performance, and dance.

A Curated Selection of International Artists across Multiple Venues across Stellenbosch.

The 2025 Stellenbosch Triennale will feature an impressive line-up of artists from the African continent and beyond. Among the artists participating In The Current include: Alexandre Kyungu Mwilambwe (Democratic Republic of Congo), Aline Motta (Brazil), Aziz Hazara (Afghanistan), Lebohang Kganye (South Africa), Simphiwe Ndzube (South Africa), Torkwase Dyson (USA), Thierry Oussou (Benin) and William Miko (Zambia). “We will be showcasing a truly diverse range of practices,” notes Mavura, “from sound, sculpture, and installations with plant life to paintings, photography, dance, and performance. The aim is to activate all the senses, providing a holistic experience that challenges and delights.”

The featured artists in On the Cusp include: Astrid González (Colombia-Chile), Helen Zeru (Ethiopia), Kasangati Godelive Kabena (Democratic Republic of Congo), Manyaku Mashilo (South Africa),Nandele Muguni (Mozambique),Simphiwe Buthelezi (South Africa),Takunda Regis Billiat (Zimbabwe) and Tuli Mekodjo (Namibia).

Performance A água é uma máquina do tempo de Aline Motta durante a 35a Bienal de São Paulo. 08/09/2023 © Levi Fanan / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

A Rehearsal for a New World.

The Stellenbosch Triennale will take place at the Oude Libertas precinct and across multiple venues throughout the town, turning Stellenbosch into a curated public laboratory for creative expressions and engagements. The collaboration with the Stellenbosch Outdoor Sculpture Trust and other local institutions ensures a rich, textured experience that reflects the unique cultural and natural landscape of the region, recognised for its vineyards and academic excellence. This year’s Triennale is more than an exhibition; it is a call to action, a rehearsal for breathing anew in a world filled with challenges and possibilities. “Art becomes an infrastructure for cure and care,” says Mbongwa, “posing the question: if death is the given condition, how do we prepare to live?”

The Stellenbosch Triennale 2025 invites you to be part of this journey – to breathe, reflect, imagine, play, and rehearse for the world we want to create.

The Stellenbosch Triennale takes place from 19 February – 30 April 2025 at Oude Libertas, the Woodmill, Rupert Museum and Stellenbosch University Museum. Entry is free to the public.

For more information:
Visit www.stellenboschtriennale.com
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