Aaron Philander (b. 2002) is a South African sculptor whose work centers on themes of identity, memory, domestic life, and intergenerational labour. Drawing deeply from his coloured heritage, Philander explores the complexities of belonging in a society that has long imposed narrow and often conflicting identity categories. His sculptural practice is rooted in the use of inherited and found materials—such as rusted tools, broken furniture, and domestic objects—which serve as both personal archives and cultural artifacts. These objects, often sourced from his grandmother’s home, become vessels of memory, intimacy, and resistance, allowing him to reflect on the intersections of personal history and collective experience.

A notable exhibition, Nanna’s Kitchen, held at the AVA Gallery in Cape Town, presented a deeply personal yet widely resonant body of work. Through sculptural assemblages like Cleaning is Comfort, Portrait of Pa, Set the Table, and Self Betrayal, Philander reimagines the domestic space as a site of emotional weight and cultural negotiation. His works often carry a quiet tension—pairing hardness with vulnerability, or functionality with disuse—evoking the labour and care embedded in everyday life. Central to his practice is a questioning of performativity and inherited narratives, particularly the expectation to be “not white enough” or “not coloured enough,” and the emotional toll of adapting one’s identity to fit shifting contexts.

Philander's sculptures not only document the overlooked textures of domestic and working-class life but also confront the viewer with questions about visibility, erasure, and belonging. Through his use of tactile, often worn materials, he invites us to consider how memory is held—not only in stories and language but in the surfaces and weight of the objects we carry forward. His work contributes to a broader conversation about South African identity, heritage, and the transformative potential of art to hold space for complex truths.