(1980 – )

Jan-Henri Booyens
Contemporary
Overview

Born in 1980 in South Africa artist Jan-Henri Booyens lives and works in Cape Town. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Durban Institute of Technology in 2004.

His work is often described in terms of a struggle between the representational and abstract, the rational and the chaotic. His affinity and critical engagement with Modernism are coupled with his relationship to the South African landscape, both physical and social, manifested in an intuitive, texture-rich layering of oil paint on canvas and bold use of colour and line. 

Booyens incorporates his experimentation with street art, photography and digital ‘Glitch Art’ and GIFs into his canvasses, as seen in his solo presentations at blank projects, ‘WHITEOUT’ (2015) and ‘Some Kind of Nature’ (2014). He was one-third of the artist collective Avant Car Guard, who employed paint, photography, and sculpture to offer a satirical critique of South Africa’s art world.

Education

2000 – 2004
BAFA, Durban Institute of Technology, Durban, South Africa

1999 – 2000
Gerrit Rietveld Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Exhibitions

2023

Sunny Side Up, Group exhibition, Graham Contemporary, Johannesburg, South Africa

2022

New Day, Group exhibition, Graham Contemporary, Johannesburg, South Africa

2021
Tachyon, Blank projects

2015
WHITEOUT, blank projects, Cape Town

2014
Some Kind of Nature, blank projects, Cape Town

2013
Save it ‘till the morning after, blank projects, Cape Town

2012
Strange Days, blank projects, Cape Town

2010
Tectonic, WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery, Cape Town

2009
People used to dream about the future, artSPACE, Berlin, Germany

2008
The Matt Sparkle, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town

2008
The Matt Sparkle, Premise Gallery, Johannesburg

2003
Minor Acts of Violence, multi media installation, Young Artist Project, NSA Gallery, Durban

2003
Exhibition of Paintings, HOME: The Cupboard Gallery, Durban

2002
Bignity Gig, Frequency, Durban

 

Group Exhibitions

2018
Open Agenda, blank projects, Cape Town
Friends50, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town

2017
17, blank projects, Cape Town

2015
Back to the Future II: Abstract Art in South Africa: Past & Present, SMAC Gallery, Stellenbosch

2014
Next thing you know, blank projects, Cape Town

2013
This is the thing, blank projects, Cape Town
blank projects in Johannesburg, Ithuba Arts Gallery, Johannesburg

2012
When Form Becomes Attitude, blank projects, Cape Town

2011
Into the artist’s studio, TinT Gallery, Thessaloniki, Greece
Iaab Projektraum, KunstFreilager, Dreispizareal, Basel, Switzerland
ALPTRAUM, Deutscher Künstlerbund, e.V. Berlin. Starting in Washington DC, at Transformer, the works travel across the globe to Cell Project Space, London touring to Deutscher Künstlerbund Projektraum, Berlin, The Company, Los Angeles and blank projects, Cape Town

2008
David Krut Gallery, Joburg Art Fair, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

2007
Collagist Exhibition, The Premise Gallery, Johannesburg
Thought Traffic, a sketching exhibition at The Premises Gallery Johannesburg

2006
New Painting: a group exhibition of recent South African art, KZNSA Gallery Durban/UNISA Art Gallery Pretoria/Johannesburg Art Gallery

2005
Spring Fling, WHATIFTHEWORLD project space, Cape Town
The black and white poster project, DIRT Contemporary, Cape Town
J ‘en rêve, Foundation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France
DWG, Drawing installation at the outlet gallery, Pretoria
Group therapy, installation at The Sandton Civic Gallery, Johannesburg

2004
VIDEOART CHANNEL, Pola Museum Annex, Tokyo, Japan
Untitled, the secret gallery, Pretoria
Out in the Dark video festival, Johannesburg

2003
Atopia, mixed media installation, artSpace, Durban
Recent Acquisitions, mixed media installation, redeye Durban Art Gallery
HOME, video works shown in a multimedia dance production directed by Jay Pather, Grahamstown National Arts festival, Grahamstown and Durban Art Gallery, Durban
EDGE production, Video works exhibited in a multi-disciplinary performance directed by Jay Pather, Playhouse Theatre, Smith Street, Durban

2002
Terrorist art, 911, 60 Point Road
Unplugged (group recording), Arts Electronica, Linz, Austria
Not For Sale, Sound installation, DDE-NSA Bat Centre, Durban
Absolut Insig Anamasie Fees, National Animation exhibition, Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn

2001
The wheel exhibition, Durban Red Eye Art, Durban
Something with an S, Durban Décor & Decaf, Durban
Xerox for all, NSA Gallery, Durban
Red Eye @rt, Durban Art Gallery

2000
Interview Sheet party, performance with Steward Barstow and Michael McGarry, Bat Centre, Durban
Kwazulu Natal Young artist exhibition, Tecnikon Natal Art Gallery, Durban

1999
Kraker exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Awards

2003 – 2004
Painting prize, Durban Institute of Technology

2002
Emma Smith Art Scholarship Merit Award

1998
Best Painting Student, Pro-Arte, Alpyn Park, Pretoria

Residencies

2010 – 2011
Pro-Helvetia Residency, Basel, Germany

Collections
  • Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
  • Foundation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris
  • Pro-Arte Fine Art Collection, Pretoria
  • Norval Foundation, Cape Town
Teaching / Curation

2012 – 2013
Part time lecturer of painting, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch

2007 – 2010
Full time history of art, painting, art and culture and technology teacher (head of department) at Carpe Diem Academy, Pretoria

2005
Co-curator, the black and white poster project, DIRT Contemporary, Cape Town

2001 – 2002
Red Eye’s visual art curator, Durban Art Museum, Durban

Featured Artwork