AVIWE PLAATJIE

Born in 1988 in South Africa, lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Aviwe Plaatjie is a painter and printmaker. He describes himself as a simple observer of his community, capturing his family, friends and neighbors in their everyday environment. He paints those intimate moments such as a conversation between two friends, a furtive pause on a staircase, the pleasure of leafing through a magazine, or a solitary daydream staring out the window. Aviwe Plaatjie offers a peaceful vision of the inhabitants of Khayelitsha township where he lives. Time is suspended in his paintings, allowing for contemplation and attention. 

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The artist deploys elaborate backgrounds around his characters and pays particular attention to the details of domestic interiors, fabrics and textures. The references to music, clothing, film and literature are multiple, depicting a proud and uninhibited generation with globalized influences. 

Aviwe Plaatjie is self-taught. He was introduced to drawing as a child by his mother. In 2010, he joined the Good Hope Arts Studios collective where he developed his practice. He also participates in the VANSA mentoring program where he learns printmaking techniques. Aviwe Plaatjie is a frequent visitor to the Cape Town art scene and participates in local exhibitions and workshops with various collectives while continuing to work in the studio.

In 2020 he was spotted by the Ebony / Curated gallery which organised his first solo show and presented him in London at the 1-54 fair. In 2021, he was exhibited by 31 PROJECT at Artissima in Turin and in 2022 in the gallery's space in Paris.