Layers Of Being: Art As A Portal To Identity brings together artists who explore identity as something shaped by history, culture, memory, and personal experience. Rather than treating identity as fixed or singular, the works on display examine it as layered and constantly evolving. Some artists reflect on personal and familial histories - what has been passed down, what has been lost, and what can be reclaimed. Others focus on community, mental health, cultural hybridity, or daily life. Across the exhibition, different perspectives emerge on how identity is formed, by both internal experience and external structures.

Through these reflections, art as a social critique, and medium as meaning are common threads through all the works. Each one does not offer simple answers, but asks viewers to consider how identity is constructed and why certain stories are visible while others are not. By engaging with overlooked histories and dominant narratives, the artists in this exhibition assert control over how their stories are told. The result is not just a collection of artworks, but a space for critical reflection, on the self, on society and on the systems that shape both.

This is not just about identity, it’s about presence. It’s about voices that institutions tried to silence, and the truth that we have always been here. We are not a resistance; we exist, and our existence has always been a reality.

Artists:

Brook-lynn Norkie, Edinah Chagwedera, Jason Langa , Katleho Mosia, Liam Van Der Heever, Lungile, Ngcobo, Mhlonishwa Zulu, Mihlali Jiya , Samkelo Mchunu, Tusevo Landu, Zenaéca Singh.