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