photograph: Ivar Melling
Herman Mbamba began his studies in 1999 at the John Muafangejo Center, in Windhoek, Namibia. In 2003 he moved to Norway and began studying at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, receiving his MFA degree in 2008. To date, Mbamba has had eight solo exhibitions in spaces across Namibia, South Africa, and Norway. He has participated in several group exhibitions, including We don’t need another hero (2018), the 10th Berlin Biennale curated by Gabi Ngcobo; the worldwide traveling exhibition Lumières d’Afriques (2016) where he represented Namibia; Chanting all glamouring, chirping(Munch Museet, Oslo, 2016); and Africa? Una Nuova Storia (Complesso Del Vittoriano, Rome, 2009). He is a founding member of the artist collective El Parche, who have exhibited work on La Otra Biennale in Bogotá, Columbia (2013), Hypocrisy: The Site Specificity of Morality (Museum of Contemporary Art, Oslo, 2009) and the Norwegian Sculpture Bienale (2008). Mbamba has taken part in several residency and workshop programmes, including the BAT Centre residency in Durban, Caversham International Artists and Writers Centre in Kwazulu Natal (2002), Tulipamwe International Art Workshop(2002 – 2003) and the Thapong International Art Workshop (2002). His work is represented in several notable institutional and private collections, including the National Art Gallery of Namibia, the National Museum of Botswana, the Arts Association Heritage Trust of Namibia, the Tulipamwe International Artists Collection, the Statoil Hydro Art Collection and the Du Pisani Art Collection.
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curriculum vitae
1980 Born in Gibeon, Namibia
education
2006 – 2008 MFA, National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, Norway
2003 – 2006 BFA, National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, Norway
1999 – 2002 John Muafangejo Art Centre, Windhoek, Namibia
solo exhibitions
2019 Colour Dance, Overlaysalen, Kunsterforbundet, Oslo, Norway
2019 FR1000ID, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa (with Cameron Platter)
2017 ╪Hâ╪Hâsa, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2016 Bærum Kulturhus, Sandvika, Norway
2016 RomFor, Haugesund, Norway
2013 Drawing the Narratives, Skapåbar, Haugesund, Norway
2012 The Basement paintings, Dortmund Bodega, Oslo, Norway
2010 Hemmingstad Kultursenter, Haugesund, Norway
2009 Tegnerforbundet, Oslo, Norway
2009 Inverted Colonialism, Gallery KHK, Oslo, Norway
2008 Gallery 21:24, Oslo, Norway
2007 Interplanetary, National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN), Windhoek, Namibia
2006 Sound of Mu, Oslo, Norway
2005 Elverum Kulturhus, Elverum, Norway
2004 John Muafangejo Art Centre Gallery, Windhoek, Namibia
2002 National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN), Windhoek, Namibia
2001 Democratic Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
2001 Democratic Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
selected group exhibitions
2019 the head the hand, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2019 Concoction of Confusion, curated by Inti Wang, Galleri Golsa, Oslo, Norway
2018 open agenda, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2018 We don’t need another hero, 10th Berlin Biennale, curated by Gabi Ngcobo, Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany
2017 17, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2017 Lumières d’Afriques, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
2016 Lumières d’Afriques, IFAN – Musée Théodore Monod, Dakar, Senegal
2016 Figure, blank projects, Cape Town, South Africa
2016 The sketch, Drawing Biennale 2016: Oslo, Schweigaards gt. 34 C. Norway
2016 Chanting all glamouring, chirping, Munch Museet, Oslo, Norway
2016 Lumières d’Afriques, Donwahi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
2016 Drawings: Past and Present, the AAHT collection, NAGN, Namibia
2016 3 881 days, blank lab, Cape Town, South Africa
2015 Celebrating 25 years of Namibian Printmaking, NAGN, Namibia
2015 Jule Utstillingen, Haugesund Haugesund Art Gallery, Haugesund, Norway
2013 El Parche Artist residency: Kunstnerhus, Oslo, Norway
2013 *La Otra Biennale, Bogotá, Colombia
2013 Arts Association Heritage Trust Collection, NAGN, Windhoek
2013 Jule Utstillingen, Haugesund Art Gallery, Haugesund, Norway
2011 Aspects of Painting Akershus Kunstsenter, Lillestrøm, Norway
2011 Herman Mbamba & Lamin Chorr Nielsen, Galleri KHK, Oslo, Norway
2010 Jule Utstillingen, Haugesund Billedgalleri, Haugesund, Norway
2010 Africa? Una Nuova Storia, Complesso Del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy
2010 *DnBNor Stipend Exhibition, Oslo KunstForeningen, Oslo, Norway
2009 *Campers: Skulptur Arena Øst, Oslo, Norway
2009 *Hypocrisy: The Site Specificity of Morality, Museum of Contemporary Art,Oslo, Norway
2009 Jule Utstillingen, Haugesund Art Gallery, Haugesund, Norway
2008 *Oslo open (In collaboration with Herstay: a performance art collective), Oslo, Norway
2008 MFA Avgangsutsillingen, Steinersen museum, Oslo, Norway
2008 Alone in the Dark, Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo, Norway
2008 * Norsk Skulptur Biennale, Vigeland museum, Oslo
2008 * Hove Festival, Norway
2008 Earthworks2007, Kultivator, Oland, Sweden
2007 Høstutsillingen, Kunstnerhus, Oslo, Norway
2007 Høstutsillingen, Trondheim Kunstmusuem, Trondheim, Norway
2007 *Supermodel, W139, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2006 Høstutsillingen, Kunstnerhus, Oslo, Norway
2006 Open Academy, Statenskunstakademi, Oslo, Norway
2006 El Parche, Gallery Bastard, Oslo, Norway
2006 *Between Borders, Gallery 21: 25, , Oslo, Norway
2006 *Academy in Exile, UKS Gallery, Oslo, Norway
2006 BFA Avgangsutstillingen, Steinersen Museum, Oslo
2006 Academy students, Gallery- A, Oslo
2005 What is this? Gallery 21: 25, Oslo
2005 Jerry Miko & Herman Mbamba, Gallery Long Space, Oslo
2005 Nikolaas Orr, Johan Mattson & Herman Mbamba, Gallery Boa, Oslo
2003 Caversham International Centre for Artists and Writers, Atlanta, USA
2003 Tulipamwe International Artists, UNAM Gallery, Windhoek, Namibia
2003 Thapong International Artists, Botswana National Museum,
2003 Southern African Development Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa
2002 Standard Bank Biennale, (NAGN), Windhoek
2002 Tulipamwe International Artists, FNCC Gallery, Windhoek
2002 Namibia Today, NAGN, Windhoek
2001 JMAC Annual exhibition, NAGN, Windhoek
2000 JMAC Annual exhibition, NAGN, Windhoek
1999 JMAC annual exhibition, NAGN, Windhoek
* In collaboration with Olga Robayo and Maruis Wang (El Parche artist collective)
public and institutional collections
City of Oslo Art Collection, Norway
National Art Gallery of Namibia Collection, Namibia
Tulipamwe International Artists Collection, Namibia
Thapong International Artist Collection, South Africa
Statoil Hydro Art Collection, Norway
Haugesund Art Association, Haugesund
Bat Centre, South Africa
Ms Meredith Palumbo Collection, USA
Botswana National Museum, Tampen Art Association, Haugesund
Dr Andre Du Pisani Collection, Namibia
Arts Association Heritage Trust, Namibia
Haugesund Sanitetsforenings Revmatismesykehus AS
Amalie Skram High School, Bergen, Norway
HSH studentboligene, Haugesund
Ullern Videregænde Skole, Oslo
Norwegian Tax head office. Oslo
Skatt Øst. Mural painting, Helsfyr, Oslo
South African Embassy, Oslo
Elverum Folkehøyskole, Carboardprint Workshop, Elverum, Norway
Martin Luther High School, Carboardprint Workshop, Namibia
Franco -Namibian Cultural Centre, Windhoek, Namibia
National Theatre of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
Desert Research Foundation of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
