BARBARA WILDENBOER

(b. 1973 Pretoria, South Africa)

Barbara Wildenboer is a South African artist who uses a combination of analogue and digital processes to create work that mostly consists of collage, photo- and paper-construction, installation, digitally animated collage works and book arts. 

Her trademark ‘altered books’ function as narrative clues, intertexts or ‘subtitles’ accompanying the other works, referring to subject matter ranging from ancient history, archaeology and fractal geometry to psychoanalysis. The altered book series Library of the Infinitesimally Small and Unimaginable Large (2011-present) was inspired by a short story by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges titled The Library of Babel. In this large-scale ongoing project she uses the library as a metaphor for the universe.

Wildenboer lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa, and is represented by galleries in Cape Town, Johannesburg, London, Lisbon and Luanda. In 2007 she obtained a Masters in Fine Art (cum laude) from the Michaelis School of Art at the University of Cape Town. The title of her Master’s thesis was’ Present Absence / Absent Presence’, and the research was concerned with aspects of melancholy, loss and longing as is embodied by the photographic medium. Before that she completed a BA(Ed) with majors in English literature, Psychology and Pedagogics at the University of Pretoria in 1996, followed by a Bachelor of Visual Arts from UNISA in 2003. From 2009-2016 she was working as the head of the Photography Department at the CityVarsity College of Creative Arts, where she lectured Theory & Discourse and History of Photography.

In 2011 she was nominated and subsequently selected as one of the top 20 finalists for the Sovereign African Arts Award for which she received the Public Choice Prize. She has been awarded several international residencies such as the Darat al Funun exchange residency / Unesco-Aschberg (Amman, Jordan 2006), the Al Mahatta residency (Birzeit, Palestine 2009) and the Red De Residencias Artisticas Local (Bogotá, Colombia 2011), the Rimbun Dahan artist residency (Penang, Malaysia 2013), L'Atelier Sur Seine (Fontainebleau, France 2017), Hannacc (Barcelona, Spain 2018) and Le Jardin Rouge at the Montresso Foundation (Marrakech, Morocco 2022).

EDUCATION

2007 Master of Fine Art (with distinction), Michaelis School of Fine Art, South Africa

2003 Bachelor of Visual Arts, UNISA, South Africa

1996 BA (Ed) with majors in English literature, Psychology and Pedagogics, University of Pretoria

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023 BABEL, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2022 LOOT, THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE, Lisbon, Portugal

2020 A Retrospective, KKNK (Klein Karoo National Arts Festival) Festival Artist, South Africa

        SUPER/NATURAL, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

        Library of the Infinitesimally Small and Unimaginably Large II, XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE

2019 Folly, Everard Read, London, UK

2018 Eros / Thanatos, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

2017 The Invisible Gardener, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2016 Mythematics, MContemporary, Sydney, Australia

2015 Something Rather Than Nothing, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2014 The Lotus Eaters, Reservoir Gallery, Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein; William Humphreys Art Gallery,                    Kimberley; North West University Gallery, Potchefstroom, South Africa

2013 Disjecta Membra, Amelia Johnson Contemporary, Hong Kong

2012 Canaries in the Coalmine, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town and Aardklop, Potchefstroom, South Africa

2011 Library of the Infinitesimally Small and Unimaginably Large, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa

2008 Present Absence/Absent Presence, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa

        Vanitas, AVA, Cape Town, South Africa

2006 Everyday Alchemy, Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023 What I Feel When I Think About The Cosmos, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

        Moving Art, XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE

        Collide, Featherstone Centre for the Arts, Massachusetts, USA

        Chimère, Fondation Blachere, Bonnieux, France

        Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE, Cape Town, South Africa

2022 EX LIBRIS, group show, Everard Read at Leeu Estates, Franschhoek, South Africa

        FNB Art Joburg, with Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

        Spring, group show, Everard Read, Franschhoek, South Africa

        Things I’d like to remember, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

        AKAA Fair, with THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE, Paris, France

        Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

        (Im)materiality, THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE, Lisbon and Centro de Artes Agueda, Portugal

2021  Spring Show, Everard Read, Johannesburg, South Africa

          In Conversation, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

          World Filled, Golubitskoe Foundation, Taman Peninsula, Russia

           Paper Art 2021, CODA, Apeldoorn, Netherlands

           Transitory Terrain, Everard Read, London, UK

           The Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA. 

           Oasis, 25th anniversary exhibition, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

           AKAA Fair, with THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE, Paris France

2020    Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

           Homework, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

           Either the world is crowded with garbage or our memories, Golubitskoe Art Foundation, Golubitskaya, Russia

           The Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

           artMRKT International Art Fair, with Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

2019   Winter, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

           Seattle Art Fair, with Seager Gray Gallery, Seattle, USA

           14th Annual Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, California, USA

2018    Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

2017-20 Cut Up /Cut Out, travelling museum exhibition, Bellevue Arts Museum, WA; Huntsville Museum of Art, AL;                    Pensacola Museum of Art, FL; Ellen Noël Art Museum, Odessa,TX; Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, FL;                    Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI, USA

2017    Booknesses: South African Artists’ Books, FADA Gallery, part of the BOOKNESSESS COLLOQUIUM, University                of Johannesburg, South Africa

           Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

           By the Book, Kaller Fine Arts, Washington DC, USAReality Check, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

           Art Africa Fair, Cape Town, South Africa

2016    This is Not a Book, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, California, USA

            Surface and Subtext, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

            nano, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

            Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Barnard Gallery, South Africa

            The Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

            Lush, SMAC Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

            Twelve Days, The Cat Street Gallery, Sheung Wan

            artMRKT International Art Fair, with Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

            Turbine Art Fair, with Dead Bunny Society, Johannesburg, South Africa

2015/6  Map of the New Art, Imago Mundi, Luciano Benetton Collection, Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice,                      Italy and New York, USA

2015     Ten Years of Artists Books, Brooklyn Public Library, New York, USA

            Picture & Paper, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

            The Spiritual in the Material, Lizamore and Associates Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

            The Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

            The Artist as Author, Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, Oudshoorn, Karoo, South Africa

            Empire, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa

           artMRKT International Art Fair, with Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

           Art Central Fair, with Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2014    Butterflies in my Stomach, XVA Gallery, Al Fahidi, Dubai, UAE

           artMRKT International Art Fair, with Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

           The Art of the Book, Seager Gray Gallery, San Francisco, USA

           Art Taipei, with Cat Street Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

           Singapore Art Fair, with Cat Street Gallery, Singapore

2013   Crossing the Divide, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa

          Wonder Works, The Space, Hong Kong

          Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa

          Joburg Art Fair, with Erdmann Contemporary, Johannesburg, South Africa

2012   Conversations, Sydney, Australia

          Clover Aardklop Arts Festival, Potchefstroom, South Africa

          Art International Zurich, with Erdmann Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland

2011   Implemented Environments, Brundyn & Gonsalves, Cape Town, South Africa

2010   Return to the Land, Klein Karoo Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

          Es(Cape), Pretoria Kunsvereniging, Pretoria, South Africa

          Matters Conceptually/Conceptual Matters, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa

          Reading between the lines, US Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2009   3d Riwaq Biennale, Birzeit, Palestine

2008/9 Construct: Beyond the Documentary Photograph (travelling exhibition) Unisa Gallery, Pretoria, KZN Gallery,                 Durban, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Gallery, Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown Art Festival, Goethe Institute,                Johannesburg, South Africa

2008    Print 08: Myth, Memory and the Archive, Bell-Roberts Gallery, South Africa

2007    Come, Michaelis Gallery, Cape Town, KZNSA, Durban, South Africa

           Greenhouse, Bell-Roberts Gallery, Lourensford estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

           Critic and Committee’s Choice, AVA, Cape Town, South Africa

RESIDENCIES/AWARDS

2023  Fondation Blachere, Bonnieux, France

         Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco 

2022 Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco 

        Top 20, Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, San Francisco, USA

2021 Modern Art Projects, South Africa

        Top 20 finalist, Thami Mnyele Fine Art Awards, South Africa

2016 L’Atelier Sur Seine residency, (Fontainebleau, Paris)

2013 Rimbun Dahan residency, Penang, Malaysia

2011 Red De Residencias Artísticas Local at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, (Bogotá, Colombia)

        Public Vote Prize, Sovereign African Arts Award 

2009 Al Mahatta residency, Palestine

        ABSA l’Atelier, ArtB, Bellville & Johannesburg, South Africa

2008 ABSA l’Atelier, ArtB, Bellville & Johannesburg, South Africa

2005 ABSA l’Atelier, ArtB, Bellville & Johannesburg, South Africa

2006 Unesco-Aschberg residency, Jordan

        MacIver Scholarship

2005/6 KW Johnstone Scholarship

2005/6 Jules Kramer Award

2005/6 Harry Crossley Scholarship

2003  BRETT KEBBLE ART AWARD, CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

2002  Winner, Vuleka New Signatures, South Africa

2000  M-WEB NEW SIGNATURES, South Africa

SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATION & COLLABORATIONS

2016 Collaboration with 50ty50ty prints, Cape Town, South Africa

2015 DEKOR-Z Collaborative site specific installation with Liza Grobler, South Africa

2013 Chance Favours the Connected Mind Collaborative installation with Liza Grobler, South Africa

2009 Mother Tongue. Site specific installation at the Birzeit Conservatory, Palestine

2008 Public Memorial for Olive Schreiner, Kalk Bay, South Africa

2006 Epitaph, (Collaboration with Sima Zereikat), Cave, Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan

2004 Spier Sculpture Biennale, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa