Artist CV

Artist's statement

(b 1979ZA. Lives and works in Johannesburg)

Neil is a self-taught artist who is one of the founding members of the Dead Bunny Society, which was founded in March 2015. Neil has studied the use of symbols and imagery as language for over two decades and found it bizarre and surreal, so he chose to create his own language to decode it all. Inspired by the process of alchemy The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul, delves into sub-conscious imagery and recurrent symbols presented as altered, hand-bound artist books and screen prints.

Solo exhibitions

2017
the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Sou, DBS project space, New Doornfontein, Johannesburg.  
2011 
Imperial at the AVA Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, January  

 

Group exhibitions

2021
Turbine Art Fair, TAF PAPER online only group exhibition  
2020 
Now Now, Gallery 114, Portland, Oregon
 
SOAPBOX VOLUMES, Johan van Heerden Art Gallery, Pretoria.  
Phantasmagoria, Lizamore Gallery, Johannesburg.  
 
 
Eno Kko, 99 Loop Gallery, Cape Town.  
2019
In This I Found Myself, No End Contemporary in Linden, Johannesburg. 
LvA 2019 Fundraising Art Auction. A biennial event to raise funds to support victims of gender-based violence in South Africa 
Ampersand Foundation 21 Year celebration group exhibition curated by Gordon Froud at UJ Gallery (University of Johannesburg), Johannesburg.  
 
RMB Turbine Art Fair, 99 Loop Gallery, Cape Town
 
Touchy-Feely, Art Room in Parkhurst, Johannesburg 
 
Lost in Translation, 99 Loop Gallery, Cape Town.  
 
Rise from the Dead, Victoria Yards, Johannesburg.  
 
2K.2 untitled, No End Contemporary Gallery, Johannesburg.  
2018
Blood, Sweat and Fears: Pages of the Necronomicon II, Open Window, Johannesburg
 
Aardklop Nationale Kunstefees
Kith, Eglaf Arts Collective, Potchefstroom.  
 
Turbine Art Fair as part of Priest Gallery’s group exhibition.  
 
“Paint It Forward” ABSA Art Auction at ABSA Gallery, Johannesburg.  
 
3Y3K Anniversary Group Exhibition at Twilsharp Studios, Bertrams, Johannesburg.  
  
“Young Collectors III” Group exhibition curated by Shenaz Mahomed at Fried Contemporary, Pretoria.  
 
“Halloween” group pop-up exhibition at Art Room, Parkhurst, Johannesburg.  
 
“WORDS Festival” at NIROX Foundation (NIROX Sculpture Park), Cradle of Humankind.  
 
“Dead Bunny Soup” at Aardklop National Arts Festival, Potchefstroon, NW.  
 
“All the Voices / EDIT” curated by No End Contemporary at Fried Contemporary, Pretoria.  
 
’Underword’ group exhibition at Priest Gallery (Johannesburg).  
 
Sacred and Profane Group Exhibition at Lizamore And Associates. Alongside Dirk Bahmann, Ronel de Jager, Stephan Erasmus and Wayne Matthews.  
2017:
Turbine Art Fair 2017: As part of Art Room group exhibition “Gimme Hope Joanna”.  
 
MAD Leadership Foundation / Valley Flair Art Auction at the 8th Annual USA Golf Classic & Gala Dinner at Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City.  
 
Presentation of “Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul at Art Lovers in Pretoria.  
  
Bag Factory “Salon Sale” group exhibition at Bag Factory, Johannesburg.  
 
KKNK 2017 group exhibition “Thanatophobia” curated by DBS.  
MAD Leadership Foundation / Valley Flair Art Auction, Franschoek, Western Cape.  
 
Booknesses: South African Artists’ Books at UJ Gallery (FADA).  
 
the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul” solo exhibition at DBS project space, New Doornfontein, Johannesburg.  
Jan Celliers Group Exhibition via Lizamore and Associates .  
2y2k Group Exhibition at Twilsharp Studios, Bertrams, Johannesburg 
Bibliophilia…Turning the Pages | Group Exhibition at ABSA Gallery, Johannesburg.  
2016: 
“72 Hours” group exhibition at No End Contemporary, Linden, Johannesburg.  
“Curator / Creator” group exhibition at ABSA Gallery Johannesburg. Curated by Lucia Boer.  
Participating artist in “Skulls: A group exhibition of various skulls interpretations” at Fried Contemporary in Brooklyn, Pretoria.  Curated by Susan Scott.  
Participating artist in “Remain(s)” group exhibition at DF Contemporary, Woodstock, Cape Town.  
Participating artist in “I-Objekt” group exhibition at Art It Is, Rosebank, Johannesburg. Curated by Gordon Froud.  
Co-curated and exhibited on the Dead Bunny Society booth and The Art Room booth as part of the “Here Be Dragons” exhibition at Turbine Art Fair 2016, Johannesburg.
Co-curated and exhibited in “ZeRO” at SoMA Art + Space, 300 Commisioner Street, Maboneng, Johannesburg.    
Exhibited and managed Dead Bunny Society “About Empty Spaces” at the KKNK Visual Platform sponsored by ABSA.  
Co-curated and exhibited in “I had a dream last night (but I can’t remember what it was about)” at No End Contemporary Art Space, Linden, Johannesburg.
Co-curated and exhibited in “DEATH AND TAXES” at Fried Contemporary Gallery in Pretoria, South Africa 
Participating artist in the “No End To This” group exhibition at the No End Contemporary Art  
2015: 
DBS at the Art Room, Parkhurst, Johannesburg  
Participating artist in “The Games People Play” group exhibition at NWU Art Gallery in Potchefstroom as part of the annual AARDKLOP Arts Festival. 
Co-curated and participant in the Dead Bunny Society stand at the Joburg Fringe 2015, Arts on Main, Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg.  
Curated and participant in REVAMP, a pop-up group exhibition held at Priest, Rosebank, Johannesburg. (Dead Bunny Society) 
co-curated and participant at the Dead Bunny Society booth at the Turbine Art Fair 2015. 
Fetish, Traversing the Occupied Body, a group exhibition curated by Wayne Matthews. ARTEC, Port Elizabeth. Travelling Exhibition – was shown at the Grahamstown Arts Festival (2015) and planned to go to Cape Town and Johannesburg.  
Macabre, a group exhibition. Curated by Peter Mammes at Underculture Contemporary, Port Elizabeth, SA. 
Guardian of the Edge, a group exhibition, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.  
2014: 
GRAY, a group exhibition, co-curated by Stephan Erasmus and Neil Nieuwoudt 
End Pages, a group exhibition at Rubixcube Gallery, Arts on Main, Johannesburg CBD.  
2013: 
ZOO, NIROXprojects, Johannesburg
2011
Process, a national group exhibition curated by the Department of Fine Arts, UFS (University of the Free State) for the annual Volksblad Arts Festival, and shown in the Centenary Complex Art Gallery situated on the campus of the University of the Free State, 
Bloemfontein. 
2011 
Agter die Berge, The Joburg Fringe Video, Haus 19, Berlin.  
2010 
The Big Hole, Kimberley Hotel, Cape Town
Ways of Seeing, ORE Gallery in Observatory, Cape Town. 
 
 
 

Awards & residencies

Ampersand Fellowship end of 2015 and completed the Ampersand Residency in Manhattan, New York City from 01 February – 01 March 2016.  

 

Press & publications

Interview with the artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjJhko7y8A 

http://artthrob.co.za/Galleries/NiROX-PROJECTS-at-Arts-on-Main.aspx 

http://arttimes.co.za/bibliophilia-turning-pages-absa-art-gallery/ 

http://creativefeel.co.za/2016/09/top-sa-artists-in-lucia-boer-absa-gallery-showcase/ 

http://www.ofipress.com/guardianoftheedge.htm  

http://arttimes.co.za/underculture-contemporary-11/  

http://citybuzz.co.za/15370/rubix-to-host-acclaimed-artists-at-group-exhibition/ 

November 2012 - Two works published in a book featuring contemporary visual art and poetry, Estuary, in the USA: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3683608  
http://www.moonandmountain.org/Estuary.html 

Joburg Fringe, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa, Sep 2011: 
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-09-23-fringe-comes-into-its-own/ 

 

Collections

Private Collections:  

Fred and Susan Scott Collection (Johannesburg) 

Benji Liebmann (Director of NIROX Foundation) 

Warren Siebrits  (Johannesburg) 

Jack Ginsberg (Johannesburg, Director of Ampersand Foundation)  

 

Teaching

2012
Guest lecturer at UP (University of Pretoria) on Curating and Art as Professional Practice. 

Education

High School Outeniqua, George, Western Cape, South Africa 

Matriculated 1997