BIOGRAPHY
(Mbuji-Mayi, 2003)
Hugo Kabeya’s work centers on creating introspective and intimate yet widely relatable conversations, rooted in lived experience as a young immigrant navigating life in South Africa, a country still in its formative stages of democracy. His practice is grounded in site-specific research that fosters collective reflection and connection, particularly as they explore the socio-political landscapes shaping both individual and collective consciousness.
Working across various media, Kabeya examines the intricate interplay between personal and historical narratives, often unearthing the layered complexities of erased histories, migration, environmental struggle, displacement, and social upheaval. As a research- and experimentation-led artist, he continually seeks new forms of narration, often through the use of materials imbued with cultural and historical significance. For instance, materials like jute and hessian are reinterpreted into living, breathing tapestries that carry the weight of forgotten stories or those obscured by dominant historical narratives.
This spirit of discovery has also led to experimentation with more unconventional materials, such as mercury cinnabar and lace, used in a site-specific project in Idrija, Slovenia. This particular work focused on preserving chronicles at risk of being lost in a rapidly advancing world, reinforcing their ongoing commitment to capturing and re-contextualizing narratives often left at the margins.
Kabeya’s most recent group show, And Yet We Imagine, opened at The Desmond and Leah Foundation in April 2025. Other shows include Routes of Resistance at the District Six Museum in Cape Town and the Skissernas Museum in Sweden (2024). He has been awarded a residency for a cross-border project through IoDeposito Place between Italy and Slovenia, which he took up in May 2025. This residency resulted in an awe-inspiring exhibition that connects and relates mining heritage in the town of Idrija, Slovenia, and the artist's home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The exhibition took place at the Hg Tolipnica Smelter Museum, a World Heritage Site.
CV
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Unearthing: Mercury & Cobalt, ID20 Institute (Topilnica Hg Museum) , Idrija, Slovenia
2024 Digging for Riches (Cobalt Blue Series), DAC on Dorp, Cape Town, South Africa
2023 When Congo Cried, Exhibit Co, Cape Town, South Africa
Flesh & Spirit, Exhibit Co, Cape Town, South Africa
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 And Yet We Imagine, Climate Lounge x Dear Tomorrow, Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation
2024 Within These Four Walls, CurioCity Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
Wear and Tear, District Six Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
Unmasking Realities, DAC on Dorp, Cape Town, South Africa
L.I.N.K, artHARARE Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
2023 Advent of the Emergent, Exhibit Co, Cape Town, South Africa
2022 Silent Auction, Butterfly Art Project, Cape Town, South Africa
Images of Hope (CTAF) - Madlozi Contemporary , Cape Town, South Africa
2021 This Is Art, Sendinggestig Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
Fame Week, Cape Town, South Africa
2019 Gratitude, Casa Labia Cultural Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
2018 Superhero, Young Blood Gallery/Butterfly Art Project, Cape Town, South Africa
2016 BAP Annual Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa
RESIDENCIES AND FELLOWSHIPS
2024 DAC on Dorp Residency - Cape Town, South Africa
2024 District Six Museum International Print Exchange, - Mexico City/Kampala/Malmo/Cape Town
Cape Town Studio Museum Residency (artHARARE) - Cape Town, South Africa
2025 IoDeposito Residency (Peripheral Visions) - Italy/Slovenia (cross border)
AWARDS
2016 Lions Club International Peace Poster 1 Place Winner (Tokai)
COLLECTIONS