Artist Focus: Aaron Philander

This week, we turn our Artist Focus spotlight on the exceptional Aaron Philander (b. 2002), a South African sculptor whose work centres on themes of identity, memory, domestic life, and intergenerational labour. Drawing deeply on his coloured heritage, Philander explores the complexities of a society that has long imposed narrow belonging in 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 artefacts. 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.

Portrait of Pa, 2025, Deconstructed chair, rusted saw and varnish, H50 x W52 x H21 cm.

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 also 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.

PA's morning paper, 2025, Newspaper, metal clip, egg pan, fork, and varnish on a wooden board, H37 x W40 x21 cm

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