Dac On Dorp Gallery/Residency

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Lwando Dlamini (b. 1992, Eastern Cape) Lwando Dlamini @ldlamini_studios is a Cape Town-based visual artist working primarily in oil paint and mixed media. Rooted in personal history and lived experience, his practice explores trauma, vulnerability, survival, and the realities of police violence in South African townships. Through depictions of the human body, Dlamini reflects on physical and emotional wounds, drawing from his own experiences with illness, violence, and mortality. After surviving paralysis and a coma as a child, and later suffering a violent assault that severely damaged his cornea, Dlamini’s work continues to investigate the body as a site of both suffering and resilience. His paintings engage themes of memory, fragility, and psychological impact with sensitivity and precision. Dlamini graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art from the Ruth Prowse School of Art @ruthprowse_artschool in 2017 and currently lives and works in Cape Town. His exhibitions include tete-a-tete at the Absa Gallery (2019), FNB Joburg Art Fair @fnbartjoburg (2018, 2020), and the current UMGOWO group exhibition at Greatmore Studios Trust @greatmorestudios . He was selected for RMB Talent Unlocked (2019), received the David Koloane Award from Bag Factory Artist Studios (2018), and was shortlisted for the Absa L’Atelier Art Competition.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Mhlonishwa Zulu (b. 2002, Durban) Storytelling sits at the heart of Mhlonishwa Zulu’s @_someguysart practice. Drawing from childhood memories shaped by stories shared within his family, Zulu approaches painting as a space where memory, symbolism, spirituality, and lived experience intersect. His works move fluidly between the familiar and the imagined, transforming everyday interiors, objects, and figures into surreal visual narratives that invite reflection and introspection. Zulu’s practice is deeply rooted in observation and conversation. For him, dialogue becomes a form of collaboration — a way of exchanging perspectives and uncovering layered meanings. This openness carries into his paintings, where viewers are encouraged to navigate uncertain and liminal spaces that sit between reality and dream, presence and absence, action and stillness. A recurring thread in his work is the exploration of religion and symbolism, particularly the evolving language of Christian iconography. Through references to figures such as Jesus and Mary, alongside symbols like the Cross, Zulu questions how these images are continuously reinterpreted within contemporary culture. Rather than offering fixed meanings, his works create space for contemplation around belief, identity, history, and the shifting power of symbols over time. Influenced by the landscapes and atmospheres of Cape Town, Zulu’s paintings often merge tangible spaces with abstract, dreamlike environments. His use of colour, light, and composition produces emotionally charged scenes that feel both intimate and otherworldly. Familiar settings become psychologically loaded terrains, where viewers are invited to confront both personal and collective experiences. Through surreal imagery and layered symbolism, Mhlonishwa Zulu creates works that exist between internal and external worlds — spaces where memory, spirituality, and human emotion converge. ——————————- Zulu is currently on show at EBONY/CURATED in a group exhibit titled ‘NOTHING HAS BEEN WHOLE FOR SOME TIME’, closing on 6 June 2026. Visit EBONY/CURATED @ebonycurated to experience the exhibition and engage with his latest body of work.

Last October, we had the privilege of welcoming Manelisi Nene @_manelisinene (b.1999, Durban) into our art residency program, marking the beginning of a deeply engaging and memorable chapter within our creative community. From the moment he arrived, Manelisi approached the residency as more than just a space to produce work — he embraced it as an opportunity to experience, connect, and reflect. Over the course of his stay, he documented and produced a short documentary titled ‘A Child Is Born’, capturing the full scope of his journey. The film traces his arrival and unfolds into a series of intimate, unfiltered moments shared with fellow artists, friends, and collaborators. It moves through the rhythm of daily studio life — quiet periods of creation, spontaneous conversations, laughter, and the exchange of ideas that shape a living, breathing creative environment. Through his lens, we see not only the physical space of the studio, but also the energy and relationships that bring it to life. Manelisi didn’t limit himself to painting; he immersed himself fully in the residency, allowing each interaction and experience to inform both his artistic practice and the narrative he was building on screen. His presence extended beyond his work, contributing to the atmosphere, dialogue, and sense of community that defines the residency. What emerges is more than documentation — it is a layered and thoughtful reflection on process, connection, and becoming. A Child Is Born stands as both a personal story and a collective memory, capturing fleeting yet meaningful moments and transforming them into something lasting. ————————————— Watch the documentary here: https://youtu.be/PPMGhTY6-LU?si=3IImYAEOQc3jkUai | LINK IN BIO

Today, we reflect on how art and photography in South Africa became a voice when many were silenced. Under apartheid, artists documented everyday life, challenged injustice, and imagined a different future—often at great personal risk. Through powerful imagery and subtle symbolism, their work captured both the weight of oppression and the hope of freedom that would come with the 1994 democratic transition. As we commemorate this day, we honour those who used creativity as resistance—and those who continue to shape the meaning of freedom today. What does freedom look like to you? Works featured: David Goldblatt, Ernest Cole and Santu Mofokeng (1985). #FreedomDay #SouthAfricanArt #ArtAsResistance #FreedomThroughArt

URGENT!!! The current data being collected does not fully reflect what is actually happening on the ground, and many visual artists are at risk of being left out of an important national conversation. The Visual Arts Cluster of South Africa (VACSA), in partnership with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, is currently mapping the visual arts sector across the country. The information gathered through this process will directly influence future programmes, funding opportunities, and policy decisions. If you are a visual artist, curator, educator, or part of the broader visual arts ecosystem, it is important that you take a few minutes to register. The process has been simplified and can now be completed quickly on the VACSA website. If you have already registered, please share the link with others in your network who may not have come across it yet. Building an accurate and representative database depends on collective participation. You can access the link in the bio [and below]: /register. #artistsamongus #southafricanart #artheritage #africanart #VACSA

“Silence” has now been extended and will remain on view until 24th April. There is still ample time to experience this compelling exhibition — we invite you to step into the space and engage with the works by Tatenda Chidora @tatendachidora , Thalente Khumo @thalente_khomo and Andile Bhala @andile.bhala We appreciate everyone that has joined us thus far; your continued support and presence are deeply valued. The gallery is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00–14:00. You are welcome to visit during these hours, or DM us to arrange a private walkthrough.

‘Silence’ remains on view until 24 April 2026. If you haven’t yet experienced the exhibition, we warmly invite you to step into the space and engage with the works by Andile Bhala @andile.bhala , Thalente Khumo @thalente_khomo , and Tatenda Chidora @tatendachidora — a considered and resonant presentation. Thank you to everyone who has spent time with the show so far; your presence and engagement mean a great deal. The gallery is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00–14:00. You’re most welcome to visit during these hours, or DM us to arrange a private walkthrough. Images: @b.aremuse

Thank you for joining us for the opening of SILENCE last week. Your presence, energy, and engagement made the evening truly special. Featuring works by Tatenda Chidora @tatendachidora (b. Zimbabwe), Thalente Khomo @thalente_khomo (b. Durban), and Andile Bhala @andile.bhala (b. Johannesburg), the exhibition explores how images speak beyond what we see — into memory, sensation, and even imagined sound. SILENCE asks us to consider the hidden soundscapes within images: the hush of a suspended moment, the echo of a space, the internal dialogue that accompanies looking. Each viewer hears an image differently, shaped by personal history and emotion. In this way, silence becomes not emptiness, but a resonant space filled with meaning. The exhibition remains open until 1 April 2026. If you missed the opening, or would like to revisit, you’re warmly welcome to join us Wednesdays & Fridays, 11:00–14:00, at: 73 Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap - Cape Town We look forward to welcoming you again — to listen as much as you look.

OPENING TONIGHT! Join us for SILENCE by Tatenda Chidora @tatendachidora , Thalente Khomo @thalente_khomo and Andile Bhala @andile.bhala . Some images don’t just hang quietly — they hum beneath the surface, they stay with you. They echo. They whisper. They remember. SILENCE is about the quiet moments, the sounds we carry inside us, and the feelings we can’t always explain. Come feel the pause. Come listen with your eyes. See you tonight, 20 February. Between 18H00 – 21H00 at 73 Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

OPENING TOMORROW | Join us tomorrow for the opening of ‘SILENCE’ by Thalente Khomo (b. Durban) Tatenda Chidora (b. Zimbabwe), and Andile Bhala (b. Johannesburg) opening on the 20th February 2026. Their works look at how images speak to us. Is their language purely visual, or does it extend into memory, sensation, and even sound? Though images are encountered through sight, they often awaken an internal soundscape shaped by experience, emotion, and cultural context. Sound—though unheard—plays a vital role in how we perceive and feel images. We instinctively associate images with sound: the imagined echo of a space, the hush of a moment, the noise that precedes or follows what is seen. These sounds emerge from personal histories and emotional states, neither wholly subjective nor objective. Every image carries a hidden sound—drawn from memory, touch, and lived experience. A photograph may hold the rustle of air, the weight of a pause, a moment suspended in time. No two viewers hear an image in the same way. Silence asks what sounds accompany image-making itself: ambient noise, internal dialogue, or quiet—and how that silent or imagined sound transfers from artist to viewer. By exploring the interplay between sight and hearing, Silence invites viewers to listen as much as they look, and to consider silence not as emptiness, but as a resonant space filled with meaning. Join us in exploring works by Tatenda Chidora (@tatendachidora ), Thalente Khomo (@thalente_khomo ), and Andile Bhala (@andile.bhala ), where images unfold beyond the visual—activating an intimate dialogue between what is seen and what is heard, or remembered. DATE: 20.02.2026 TIME 18H00 - 21H00 73 Dorp Street, Bo Kaap - Cape Town.

Dac On Dorp is pleased to invite you to the opening of a group show ‘SILENCE’ by Tatenda Chidora (b. Zimbabwe), Thalente Khomo (b. Durban) and Andile Bhala (b. Johannesburg) opening on the 20th February 2026. ————————————- This trio look at how images speak to us. Is their language purely visual, or does it extend into memory, sensation, and even sound? Though images are encountered through sight, they often awaken an internal soundscape shaped by experience, emotion, and cultural context. Sound—though unheard—plays a vital role in how we perceive and feel images. We instinctively associate images with sound: the imagined echo of a space, the hush of a moment, the noise that precedes or follows what is seen. These sounds emerge from personal histories and emotional states, neither wholly subjective nor objective. Every image carries a hidden sound—drawn from memory, touch, and lived experience. A photograph may hold the rustle of air, the weight of a pause, a moment suspended in time. No two viewers hear an image in the same way. Silence asks what sounds accompany image-making itself: ambient noise, internal dialogue, or quiet—and how that silent or imagined sound transfers from artist to viewer. By exploring the interplay between sight and hearing, Silence invites viewers to listen as much as they look, and to consider silence not as emptiness, but as a resonant space filled with meaning. Join us in exploring works by Andile Bhala (@andile.bhala ), Tatenda Chidora (@tatendachidora ), and Thalente Khomo (@thalente_khomo ), where images unfold beyond the visual—activating an intimate dialogue between what is seen and what is heard, or remembered. DATE: 20.02.2026 TIME 18H00 - 21H00 73 Dorp Street, Bo Kaap - Cape Town.

Excited to be part of a group exhibition with @andile.bhala & @thalente_khomo at @dacondorp . See you next week Friday.