On
display are new works at NIROX resulting from ongoing research and residency programmes, the opening of Clouding Over, an
exhibition by Jeremy Wafer & Colleen Wafer at the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture, and a curator-led tour of
the park. Featuring works by Alet Pretorius, Atul Bhalla, Caroline Le Méhauté, Christophe Fellay,
Coral Bijoux, Diego Masera, Ebru Kurbak, Egle Oddo, Francesco Bellina, Herrana Addisu,
Johan Thom, Jeremy & Colleen Wafer, Ledelle Moe, Paula Anta, Rojda Tugrul, Sebastian
Stumpf, Senzo Masondo, Seretse Moletsane, Setlamorago Mashilo, Tshepiso Mahooe and Vibha
Galhotra.
On the second day of the closing event, NIROX presents A Concert for Water, musically curated by
Rob Allan. The artists will perform a programme selected and composed specifically for the concert on the venue’s grand
piano in the amphitheatre, overlooking the winding waterways. The concert features Thandi Ntulis’ Rainbow Revisited,
Yonela Mnana’s 3frequency (Soultee Sisters, Gontse Makhene, Lebo Ledwaba), Hymn_self (Siyabonga
Mthembu, Solethu Madasa, Vuyo Viwe), Phillippa Yaa De Villiers & Stompie Selibe, and The
Cradle Crew.
The wider programme at the University of Pretoria includes panels, presentations, lectures, screenings,
installations, works and guided tours featuring participants such as Alet Pretorius, Atul Bhalla, Basak Senova,
The Centre for the Less Good Idea, Diane Victor, Dorothea Schoene, Francesco Bellina, Herrana
Addisu, Inma Herrera, Jessica Ostrowicz, Jesper Just, Johan Thom, Lundahl & Seitl,
Marja Helander, Robin Rhode, Rojda Tugrul, Seretse Moletsane, Shaken Grounds Collective
(Nikolaus Gansterer, Mariella Greil, Victor Jaschke, Peter Kozek, Werner Moebius and Lucie
Strecker) and SUPERFLEX.
Soil & Water, developed and curated by Basak Senova (University
of Applied Arts Vienna) and Johan Thom (University of Pretoria) in collaboration with the NIROX Foundation, is a large-scale
artistic project set within the context of a heritage site. Initiated in South Africa in response to the pollution of rivers
and groundwater there, Soil & Water was conceived as a modular platform bringing together exhibitions, residencies,
public programmes, screenings and research initiatives. An extension of the project, the exhibition Soil & Water: Mediterranean
Crossing, took place in 2026 at the Art Rooms and on the ARUCAD campus in Kyrenia and Nicosia, Cyprus, accompanied by
a publication from ARUCAD Press.
Participants in the project included Abri de Swardt (ZA), Alet Pretorius
(ZA), Atang Tshikare (ZA), Atul Bhalla (IN), Barbara Putz-Plecko (AT), Caroline Le Méhauté (FR),
Christophe Fellay (CH), Coral Bijoux (ZA), Diana Vives & Douglas Gimberg (CH/ZA), Diane
Victor (ZA), Diego Masera (AR), Ebru Kurbak (TR/AT), Egle Oddo (IT/FI), Eugénie Touzé (FR),
Francesco Bellina (IT), Hera Büyüktasciyan (TR), Herrana Addisu (ET), Inma Herrera (ES/FI), Isa
Rosenberger (AT), Jacob van Schalkwyk (ZA), Jeremy & Colleen Wafer (ZA), Jessica Ostrowicz (UK),
Jesper Just (DK), Johan Thom (ZA), Jonatan Habib Engqvist (SE) (author), Ledelle Moe (ZA), Lorin
Sookol (ZA), Lundahl & Seitl (SE), MADEYOULOOK (SA), Maria Lantz (SE), Marcus Neustetter
(AT/ZA), Marja Helander (FI), Mithu Sen (IN), Oya Silbery (CY), Paula Anta (ES), Ramesh Daha
(AT), Raúl Mirlo (MX), Robin Rhode (ZA/DE), Rojda Tugrul (TR), Sebastian Stumpf (DE), Seretse
Moletsane (ZA), Setlamorago Mashilo (ZA), Shaken Grounds Collective (Nikolaus Gansterer, Mariella
Greil, Victor Jaschke, Peter Kozek, Werner Moebius and Lucie Strecker) (AT), SUPERFLEX
(DK), The Centre for the Less Good Idea (ZA) and The ZoNE (AT/CH/TR/ZA).
The project is supported
by the NIROX Foundation, the University of Pretoria, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Art Rooms Kyrenia, ARUCAD Arkin University
of Creative Arts and Design, Austrian Cultural Forum Pretoria, BIENALSUR Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo del Sur,
BMKÖS Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport, Danish Arts Foundation, Austrian Embassy in South Africa,
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in South Africa, Spanish Embassy in South Africa, The Finnish Cultural Foundation,
IASPIS International Programme for Visual and Applied Arts, Italian Cultural Institute of Pretoria, University of Applied
Arts Vienna, Kunsthaus Dahlem Berlin, L’Accolade Foundation Paris, The Claire and Edoardo Villa Will Trust South Africa, Ukrainian
Institute and Techizart Istanbul.
For further information and updates, please visit www.soilandwater.net
