Brenton Maart

Brenton Maart works in many forms: in concepts, images, texts and structures. His current independent projects merge institutional collaborations, cultural activism, design, curating, editing, writing, visual art production and creative archival practice. Two projects of note are curating the South African National Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, and curating and designing #i, awarded a Contemporary African Photography Award in 2019.
His artwork has been shown in these solo exhibitions: 'On the risk of others – The photosyntax of Brenton Maart', Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Los Angeles, 2008; 'Crossword', Gallery Momo, Johannesburg, 2005; 'Annotated Index', The Factory, Johannesburg, 2005; 'Final Edit', The Factory, Johannesburg, 2005; and 'Temporary Architecture', PhotoZA, Johannesburg, 2003; Bell Roberts, Cape Town, 2003.

Selected group exhibitions include 'Imperfect Librarian', Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town, 2012; 'Not Alone', Durban Art Gallery, 2009; Museum Africa, Johannesburg, 2009; 'Of Want and Desire', João Ferreira, Cape Town, 2006; 'A Decade of Democracy: Witnessing South Africa', National Center for African American Arts, Boston, 2004; 'City & Country', Axis Gallery, New York, 2004; and 'What is life', South African Museum, Cape Town, 2003.

Maart holds an M.A. in Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand and an M.Sc. in Biotechnology achieved with distinction from Rhodes University. This academic background, along with a growing interest in ruin porn in relation to climate change politics, forms the basis of his artist-in-residence at the University of Johannesburg’s new BioArt Facility in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (FADA).