Renowned South African artist Nolan Oswald Dennis makes their solo debut at Zeitz MOCAA with Understudies, an exhibition that embodies their para-disciplinary approach, challenging traditional notions of art, science, metaphysics and knowledge. This groundbreaking show invites viewers to reexamine their relationship with instruction and authority.
Dennis’ practice explores what they call “a black consciousness of space” which underscores the material and metaphysical conditions of decolonization. Their work has been critically acclaimed and featured globally, including the 9th Berlin Biennale, Liverpool Biennale, and Palais de Tokyo.
Understudies features a range of thought-provoking works, including the widely-traveled wall installation, Black Liberation Zodiac (Molalatladi), a piece that refers to the functional aspects of astrology, and spiritual symbolism and how they intersect with Black history. This iconic piece reimagines global relations by mapping Black and African liberation archives onto the southern hemisphere night sky.
Another work is Xenolith (Letsema) which is co-produced with the Zeitz MOCAA museum staff and highlights Dennis’ collaborative approach. This column of tightly packed soil, crafted by museum staff, confronts traditional artistic authorship, recognizing museum workers as partners in shaping collective learning in the museum.
“Ecliptic (Black Liberation Zodiac)” by Nolan Oswald Dennis (Image Courtesy of the Goodman Gallery).
Exploring the history of scientific representation and intervention, Dennis encourages us to see artworks as models, diagrams, and simulations rather than static objects. By using indexical, analytic, and educational devices as tools for rehearsal rather than tools for instruction, Dennis fosters an environment where the interactions between objects in the exhibition and the world outside forms the meaning of the artworks.
Dennis, through their artistic practice, interrogates systems and fields of knowledge, redirecting geological techniques like stratigraphy to uncover personal and political fictions about our connection to land. Their work draws on counter-cosmologies from Black, Indigenous, and Queer liberation practices, subverting universalized and exclusionary perceptions of the world. These feature in the exhibition through motifs and the overall artworks. By questioning the politics of space and time, Dennis reveals hidden structures that shape our social and political imagination.
Understudies is part of Zeitz MOCAA’s ongoing series of in-depth solo exhibitions showcasing artists from Africa and the Diaspora. Located on Level 3 by the Elevator side of the museum, and curated by Thato Mogotsi, it runs from the 8th of October 2024 until the 25th of May 2025.
