CURATORIAL: Opening Remarks 2026 WHAG Duo Exhibitions Tears of a Man by Neo Theku and HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips by Genevieve Clarke William Humphreys Art Gallery

Opening Remarks by Chepape Makgato 2026 WHAG Duo Exhibitions Tears of a Man by Neo Theku and HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips by Genevieve Clarke Programme Director, distinguished guests, artists, colleagues, members of the arts community, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the William Humphreys Art Gallery for the opening of our 2026 Duo Exhibitions, featuring Tears of a Man by Neo Theku and HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips by Genevieve Clarke.

This evening is particularly significant because it demonstrates one of the most important responsibilities of a museum and gallery: creating meaningful opportunities for emerging artists to develop their practice and present their work within a professional institutional setting. Both Neo Theku and Genevieve Clarke were selected from a highly competitive pool of finalists from the 2026 William Humphreys Art Gallery Artist-in-Residence Programme.

Their exhibitions form part of our Youth Month Development Programme, a platform designed to identify, nurture, and elevate young artistic voices whose work contributes meaningfully to contemporary cultural discourse. Tonight, we celebrate not only two talented artists but also two distinct ways of seeing and interpreting the world. Although working in different mediums Theku through photography and Clarke through painting, their practices intersect around a shared concern: the human condition. They ask us to consider who we are, how we are seen, how we see ourselves, and the traces we leave behind in society. 

In Tears of a Man, Neo Theku offers a deeply introspective exploration of masculinity, vulnerability, spirituality, and emotional resilience. Through carefully staged photographic compositions, he invites us into spaces that are often hidden from public view. His title work, 3 God's Dreams, presents a figure shrouded in symbolic concealment, illuminated by the presence of burning candles. The photograph becomes more than an image; it becomes a meditation on silence, endurance, and the emotional realities that many men carry within themselves. 

As a curator, I was particularly drawn to the cultural symbolism embedded within Theku's work. The recurring presence of sheep heads and bull horns immediately evokes familiar African and Sepedi proverbial wisdom. One is reminded of the saying, "Monna ke nku, o llela teng" - a man is a sheep; he cries within himself. Theku's work challenges us to reflect on the consequences of this expectation. How many men have been taught to suppress pain? How many have carried burdens in silence? Through his powerful use of chiaroscuro, symbolism, and self-portraiture, Theku opens a necessary conversation about vulnerability as a form of strength rather than weakness. 

On the other side of the gallery, Genevieve Clarke's HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips celebrates humanity through a language of accumulation, mark-making, and recognition. Constructed through countless monochromatic fingerprint-like impressions, her portraits emerge from what initially appears to be abstraction. Yet as one moves through the exhibition, faces gradually reveal themselves, creating a dynamic viewing experience that requires both patience and participation. 

Her title work, Lady Skollie, perfectly encapsulates this approach. Through pixelated blacks, whites, and greys, Clarke demonstrates remarkable confidence in her medium, allowing viewers to oscillate between detail and image, between individual mark and complete portrait. The work draws us closer and then encourages us to step back, revealing the complexity of both the image and the individual it represents. 

What I find particularly compelling about Clarke's exhibition is her commitment to honouring individuals while they are still actively shaping society. Whether depicting Lady Skollie, Marc Lottering, Ouma Katrina, or other figures represented in the exhibition, Clarke creates a living archive of achievement, contribution, and cultural significance. These are not memorial portraits; they are celebrations of lives and legacies still unfolding before us. When considering these two exhibitions together, what emerged curatorially was not their difference, but their conversation.

One artist conceals in order to reveal. The other accumulates marks in order to construct identity. One works through photography and symbolism; the other through painting and pixelated portraiture. Yet both are fundamentally concerned with humanity, its vulnerabilities, complexities, memories, and enduring presence. The juxtaposition of the two exhibitions allows audiences to move between introspection and recognition, between emotional interiority and public identity. 

Together, the works remind us that every individual carries visible and invisible imprints, stories, struggles, triumphs, memories, and aspirations that shape who we become. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to both artists for their commitment, professionalism, and willingness to trust the curatorial process. Thank you for sharing your creativity, your vulnerability, and your vision with us. 

I would also like to acknowledge the William Humphreys Art Gallery staff, whose dedication and hard work have made this exhibition possible, as well as our supporters, stakeholders, and members of the public who continue to believe in the importance of the arts. We thank Tuelo Gabonewe for agreeing to be our opening speaker. 

Most importantly, I would like to thank all of you for being here this evening. Your presence affirms the importance of supporting emerging artists and investing in the future of South African visual culture.

Thank you, enjoy the exhibitions, engage with the artworks, and most importantly, allow yourselves to be drawn into the conversations they invite. Ke a leboga. Thank you.

Chepape Makgato is a multi award winning visual artist, arts writer and curator. He is a Chief Curator at William Humphreys Art Gallery. He is a chairperson of the South African Museums Association Central (Free State and Northern Cape). He serves on the panel of Acquisition Committee of ArtBank South Africa. He has a Master's Degree in Fine Art from University of Witwatersrand and is completing his PhD in Art and Music at UNISA. He is a Research Fellow in Faculty of Humanities at Sol Plaatje University. Chepape is a 2026 Senior Artist Fellow of Leuphana Institute of Advance Studies at Leuphana University of Luneburg in Germany.