︎ CV + Bio
David Brits was born in 1987 in Cape Town and lives there. He graduated from the Michaelis School of Fine Art (Painting) at the University of Cape Town in 2010.
Brits has, over the past four years, devoted his practice to formal investgations in public-scale sculpture. Equally energised by material exploration and archival investigation, Brits’ practice also spans installation, print-making, drawing and film.
Recent major public sculpture commissions include the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, The Speir arts Trust and the Iziko South African National Gallery. He is the winner of the Rupert Art Foundation’s inaugural Social Impact Arts Prize.
Brits’ recent solo exhibitions include Sketches for the Cathedral of Johannesburg, held in 2016 at HAZARD Gallery in Johannesburg, and Snake Man, at SMITH Gallery, Cape Town, in 2015. Snake Man was a meditation on family histories in the context of pre-democratic South Africa and pays homage to the artist’s grandfather, one of the country’s top herpetologists and snake catchers from the 1950ies to the 1970ies.
In 2014 Brits was awarded a residency at the St. Moritz Art Academy, Switzerland, where he was mentored by Marcel van Eden and Daniele Buetti. Recent group shows include Materiality at the IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town, Words curated by Willem Boshoff at the Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, Nevermind the M*ss at A SPACE, Helsinki, Kindergeburtstag, held at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. His work has featured in the academic journal Graduate Research and Reviews in the History of Art and Visual Culture (2015) and has been named as a “young artist to watch” by the South African Art Times.
Brits made his curatorial debut with Not My War, an exhibition held at the Michaelis Galleries, UCT. This acclaimed show brought together works by significant South African artists that have reflected on their country’s involvement in border wars in Northern Namibia and Southern Angola during the 1960ies to 1980ies.
Brits’ work is housed in public and private collections in both South Africa and abroad. He is a recipient of the Golden Key Society Award for Visual Art, the Irma Stern Scholarship and the Barbara Fairhead Prize.
EDUCATION:
2010︎︎︎Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting), UCT Michaelis School of
Fine Art, University of Cape Town
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2022︎︎︎Time is a Flat Circle, MovArt Gallery, Lisbon
2016︎︎︎Sketches for the Cathedral of Johannesburg, HAZARD
Gallery, Johannesburg
2015︎︎︎Snake Man, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2013︎︎︎1969, Grande Provance Gallery, Franschoek
2011︎︎︎VICTOR VICTOR, Brundyn +, Cape Town
PUBLIC COMISSIONS:
2020︎︎︎Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2019︎︎︎Spier Arts Trust, Stellenbosch
2019︎︎︎Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, Cape Town
AWARDS:
2020︎︎︎Rupert Foundation Social Impact Arts Prize
2011︎︎︎Rhodes Scholarship Finalist
2011︎︎︎Golden Key Chapter Award for Visual Art
2010︎︎︎Humanities Faculty Deans List
2009︎︎︎Irma Stern Scholarship
2009︎︎︎Barbara Fairhead Prize for Social Responsibility in Art
2007︎︎︎Humanities Faculty Scholarship
2007︎︎︎Gold Medal Fine Art Foundation Course
RESIDENCIES:
2022︎︎︎MovArt Residency Program, Lisbon
2020︎︎︎Social Impact Arts Prize Residency, Graaff-Reinet, RSA
2016︎︎︎Hazard Gallery Artist in Residence, Johannesburg, RSA
2014︎︎︎St. Moritz Art Academy, St. Moritz, Switzerland
ART FAIRS:
2019︎︎︎Art Joburg, SMITH Gallery Booth
2019︎︎︎Latitudes Art Fair, Strauss & Co Booth
2019︎︎︎SculptX, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg
2017︎︎︎Cape Town Art Fair, 50ty/50ty Booth
Joburg Art Fair, 50ty/50ty Booth
CURATORIAL PROJECTS:
2012︎︎︎Not My War Exhibition, Michaelis Galleries, University of Cape Town
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2021︎︎︎Spier Light Art Festival, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
2020︎︎︎Materiality, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2020︎︎︎Social Impact Exhibition, Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch
2019︎︎︎Spier Light Art Festival, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
2017︎︎︎Salad, Smith Gallery, Cape Town
2017︎︎︎Cape Town Salon, AVA Gallery, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎Words, Curated by Willem Boshoff, Nirox Sculpture Park, Cradle of Humankind, Johannesburg
2016︎︎︎Bring Your Own Beamer IV, Gallery Momo, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎1k – 4.0, 1k – 5.0, 1k – 6.0, City Guns, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎From Whence They Came, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎Kindergeburtsdag 2016, Bottrop, Germany
2015︎︎︎Best in Store, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2015︎︎︎Nevermind the M*ss, A Space, Helsinki
2015︎︎︎Current, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2015︎︎︎Not From Here, 70 Juta Street, Johannesburg
2015︎︎︎Kindergeburtstag 2015, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
2013︎︎︎Parliament, Roeland Street Studios, Cape Town
2013︎︎︎ Un-bound, Franschoek Literary Festival, Franschoek
2012︎︎︎Our Fathers, , AVA Gallery, Cape Town
2010︎︎︎Amani Festival for Peace Visual Art Exhibition, Look-out Hill, Khayelitscha
2010︎︎︎Time In Our Hands, Clock Tower Precinct, Cape Town
2010︎︎︎Materiality – Ways of Seeing, ORE Gallery, Cape Town
2010︎︎︎Undiscovered Undergrad, Vansa Gallery, Cape Town
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Dias Ramos, A. 2015. ‘Imageless in Angola – Appropriating Photography’. Object 17: Graduate Research and Reviews in the History of Art and Visual Culture. Pgs 77-99. Available from: <http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1472890> [15 December 2015].
Corrigall, M. 2012. ‘ The Silent War’. 20 July 2012. Incorrigible Corrigall: Blog. Available from: <http://corrigall.blogspot.co.za/2012/07/the-silent-war.html#more> [24 November 2015].
Cowie, A-R. 2013. ‘Featured: David Brits.’ 17 July 2013. Between 10 and 5: Blog. Available from: <http://10and5.com/2013/07/17/featured-david-brits/> [24 November 2015].
Davis, R. 2012. ‘Whose war was it anyway?’ 9 July 2012. The Daily Maverick: Blog. Available from: <http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-07-09-whose-war-was-it-anyway#.VlSBx64rJPM> [24 November 2015].
Pinto, G. 2015. ‘Embracing Inheritance: Snake Man by David Brits’. 19 November 2015. Between 10 and 5: Blog. Available from: <http://10and5.com/2015/11/19/embracing-inheritance-snake-man-by-david-brits/> [24 November 2015].
Rossouw, C. 2015, ‘Art exhibition sheds light on eccentric snake man’, Business Day 23 November. Available from <http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/entertainment/2015/11/23/art-exhibition-sheds-light-on-an-eccentric-snake-man>. [24 November 2015].
Brits has, over the past four years, devoted his practice to formal investgations in public-scale sculpture. Equally energised by material exploration and archival investigation, Brits’ practice also spans installation, print-making, drawing and film.
Recent major public sculpture commissions include the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, The Speir arts Trust and the Iziko South African National Gallery. He is the winner of the Rupert Art Foundation’s inaugural Social Impact Arts Prize.
Brits’ recent solo exhibitions include Sketches for the Cathedral of Johannesburg, held in 2016 at HAZARD Gallery in Johannesburg, and Snake Man, at SMITH Gallery, Cape Town, in 2015. Snake Man was a meditation on family histories in the context of pre-democratic South Africa and pays homage to the artist’s grandfather, one of the country’s top herpetologists and snake catchers from the 1950ies to the 1970ies.
In 2014 Brits was awarded a residency at the St. Moritz Art Academy, Switzerland, where he was mentored by Marcel van Eden and Daniele Buetti. Recent group shows include Materiality at the IZIKO South African National Gallery, Cape Town, Words curated by Willem Boshoff at the Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, Nevermind the M*ss at A SPACE, Helsinki, Kindergeburtstag, held at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. His work has featured in the academic journal Graduate Research and Reviews in the History of Art and Visual Culture (2015) and has been named as a “young artist to watch” by the South African Art Times.
Brits made his curatorial debut with Not My War, an exhibition held at the Michaelis Galleries, UCT. This acclaimed show brought together works by significant South African artists that have reflected on their country’s involvement in border wars in Northern Namibia and Southern Angola during the 1960ies to 1980ies.
Brits’ work is housed in public and private collections in both South Africa and abroad. He is a recipient of the Golden Key Society Award for Visual Art, the Irma Stern Scholarship and the Barbara Fairhead Prize.
EDUCATION:
2010︎︎︎Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting), UCT Michaelis School of
Fine Art, University of Cape Town
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2022︎︎︎Time is a Flat Circle, MovArt Gallery, Lisbon
2016︎︎︎Sketches for the Cathedral of Johannesburg, HAZARD
Gallery, Johannesburg
2015︎︎︎Snake Man, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2013︎︎︎1969, Grande Provance Gallery, Franschoek
2011︎︎︎VICTOR VICTOR, Brundyn +, Cape Town
PUBLIC COMISSIONS:
2020︎︎︎Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2019︎︎︎Spier Arts Trust, Stellenbosch
2019︎︎︎Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, Cape Town
AWARDS:
2020︎︎︎Rupert Foundation Social Impact Arts Prize
2011︎︎︎Rhodes Scholarship Finalist
2011︎︎︎Golden Key Chapter Award for Visual Art
2010︎︎︎Humanities Faculty Deans List
2009︎︎︎Irma Stern Scholarship
2009︎︎︎Barbara Fairhead Prize for Social Responsibility in Art
2007︎︎︎Humanities Faculty Scholarship
2007︎︎︎Gold Medal Fine Art Foundation Course
RESIDENCIES:
2022︎︎︎MovArt Residency Program, Lisbon
2020︎︎︎Social Impact Arts Prize Residency, Graaff-Reinet, RSA
2016︎︎︎Hazard Gallery Artist in Residence, Johannesburg, RSA
2014︎︎︎St. Moritz Art Academy, St. Moritz, Switzerland
ART FAIRS:
2019︎︎︎Art Joburg, SMITH Gallery Booth
2019︎︎︎Latitudes Art Fair, Strauss & Co Booth
2019︎︎︎SculptX, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg
2017︎︎︎Cape Town Art Fair, 50ty/50ty Booth
Joburg Art Fair, 50ty/50ty Booth
CURATORIAL PROJECTS:
2012︎︎︎Not My War Exhibition, Michaelis Galleries, University of Cape Town
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2021︎︎︎Spier Light Art Festival, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
2020︎︎︎Materiality, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2020︎︎︎Social Impact Exhibition, Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch
2019︎︎︎Spier Light Art Festival, Spier Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
2017︎︎︎Salad, Smith Gallery, Cape Town
2017︎︎︎Cape Town Salon, AVA Gallery, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎Words, Curated by Willem Boshoff, Nirox Sculpture Park, Cradle of Humankind, Johannesburg
2016︎︎︎Bring Your Own Beamer IV, Gallery Momo, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎1k – 4.0, 1k – 5.0, 1k – 6.0, City Guns, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎From Whence They Came, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2016︎︎︎Kindergeburtsdag 2016, Bottrop, Germany
2015︎︎︎Best in Store, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2015︎︎︎Nevermind the M*ss, A Space, Helsinki
2015︎︎︎Current, SMITH Gallery, Cape Town
2015︎︎︎Not From Here, 70 Juta Street, Johannesburg
2015︎︎︎Kindergeburtstag 2015, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
2013︎︎︎Parliament, Roeland Street Studios, Cape Town
2013︎︎︎ Un-bound, Franschoek Literary Festival, Franschoek
2012︎︎︎Our Fathers, , AVA Gallery, Cape Town
2010︎︎︎Amani Festival for Peace Visual Art Exhibition, Look-out Hill, Khayelitscha
2010︎︎︎Time In Our Hands, Clock Tower Precinct, Cape Town
2010︎︎︎Materiality – Ways of Seeing, ORE Gallery, Cape Town
2010︎︎︎Undiscovered Undergrad, Vansa Gallery, Cape Town
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Dias Ramos, A. 2015. ‘Imageless in Angola – Appropriating Photography’. Object 17: Graduate Research and Reviews in the History of Art and Visual Culture. Pgs 77-99. Available from: <http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1472890> [15 December 2015].
Corrigall, M. 2012. ‘ The Silent War’. 20 July 2012. Incorrigible Corrigall: Blog. Available from: <http://corrigall.blogspot.co.za/2012/07/the-silent-war.html#more> [24 November 2015].
Cowie, A-R. 2013. ‘Featured: David Brits.’ 17 July 2013. Between 10 and 5: Blog. Available from: <http://10and5.com/2013/07/17/featured-david-brits/> [24 November 2015].
Davis, R. 2012. ‘Whose war was it anyway?’ 9 July 2012. The Daily Maverick: Blog. Available from: <http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-07-09-whose-war-was-it-anyway#.VlSBx64rJPM> [24 November 2015].
Pinto, G. 2015. ‘Embracing Inheritance: Snake Man by David Brits’. 19 November 2015. Between 10 and 5: Blog. Available from: <http://10and5.com/2015/11/19/embracing-inheritance-snake-man-by-david-brits/> [24 November 2015].
Rossouw, C. 2015, ‘Art exhibition sheds light on eccentric snake man’, Business Day 23 November. Available from <http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/entertainment/2015/11/23/art-exhibition-sheds-light-on-an-eccentric-snake-man>. [24 November 2015].
