Jan-Henri Booyens’ work is often described in terms of a struggle between the representational and abstract, the rational and chaotic. His affinity and critical engagement with Modernism is coupled with his relationship to the South African landscape, both physical and social, manifesting in an intuitive, texture-rich layering of oil paint on canvas and a bold use of colour and line. Booyens incorporates his experimentation with street art, photography, and digital ‘Glitch Art’ and GIFs into his canvasses, as seen in his solo presentations at blank projects, ‘WHITEOUT’ (2015) and ‘Some Kind of Nature’ (2014). He was one-third of the iartist collective Avant Car Guard, who employed paint, photography and sculpture to offer a satirical critique of South Africa’s art world.
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curriculum vitae
1980 Born in Johannesburg, South Africa
education
2000-2004 BAFA, Durban Institute of Technology, Durban, South Africa
1999-2000 Gerrit Rietveld Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands
solo exhibitions
2015 WHITEOUT, blank projects, Cape Town
2014 Some Kind of Nature, blank projects, Cape Town
2013 Save it ‘till the morning after, blank projects, Cape Town
2012 Strange Days, blank projects, Cape Town
2010 Tectonic, WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery, Cape Town
2009 People used to dream about the future, artSPACE, Berlin, Germany
2008 The Matt Sparkle, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town
2008 The Matt Sparkle, Premise Gallery, Johannesburg
2003 Minor Acts of Violence, multi media installation, Young Artist Project, NSA Gallery, Durban
2003 Exhibition of Paintings, HOME: The Cupboard Gallery, Durban
2002 Bignity Gig, Frequency, Durban
group exhibitions
2018 open agenda, blank projects, Cape Town
2018 Friends50, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2017 17, blank projects, Cape Town
2015 Back to the Future II: Abstract Art in South Africa: Past & Present, SMAC Gallery, Stellenbosch
2014 next thing you know, blank projects, Cape Town
2013 This is the thing, blank projects, Cape Town
2013 blank projects in Johannesburg, Ithuba Arts Gallery, Johannesburg
2012 When Form Becomes Attitude, blank projects, Cape Town
2011 Into the artist’s studio, TinT Gallery, Thessaloniki, Greece
2011 Iaab Projektraum, KunstFreilager, Dreispizareal, Basel, Switzerland
2011 ALPTRAUM, Deutscher Künstlerbund, e.V. Berlin. Starting in Washington DC, at Transformer, the works travel across the globe to Cell Project Space, London touring to Deutscher Künstlerbund Projektraum, Berlin, The Company, Los Angeles and blank projects, Cape Town
2008 David Krut Gallery, Joburg Art Fair, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg
2007 Collagist Exhibition, The Premise Gallery, Johannesburg
2007 Thought Traffic, a sketching exhibition at The Premises Gallery Johannesburg
2006 New Painting: a group exhibition of recent South African art, KZNSA Gallery Durban/UNISA Art Gallery Pretoria/Johannesburg Art Gallery
2005 Spring Fling, WHATIFTHEWORLD project space, Cape Town
2005 The black and white poster project, DIRT Contemporary, Cape Town
2005 J ‘en rêve, Foundation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France
2005 DWG, Drawing installation at the outlet gallery, Pretoria
2005 Group therapy, installation at The Sandton Civic Gallery, Johannesburg
2004 VIDEOART CHANNEL, Pola Museum Annex, Tokyo, Japan
2004 Untitled, the secret gallery, Pretoria
2004 Out in the Dark video festival, Johannesburg
2003 Atopia, mixed media installation, artSpace, Durban
2003 Recent Acquisitions, mixed media installation, redeye Durban Art Gallery
2003 HOME, video works shown in a multimedia dance production directed by Jay Pather, Grahamstown National Arts festival, Grahamstown and Durban Art Gallery, Durban
2003 EDGE production, Video works exhibited in a multi-disciplinary performance directed by Jay Pather, Playhouse Theatre, Smith Street, Durban
2002 Terrorist art, 911, 60 Point Road
2002 unplugged (group recording), Arts Electronica, Linz, Austria
2002 Not For Sale, Sound installation, DDE-NSA Bat Centre, Durban
2002 Absolut Insig Anamasie Fees, National Animation exhibition, Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn
2001 The wheel exhibition, Durban Red Eye Art, Durban
2001 Something with an S, Durban Décor & Decaf, Durban
2001 Xerox for all, NSA Gallery, Durban
2001 Red Eye @rt, Durban Art Gallery
2000 Interview Sheet party, performance with Steward Barstow and Michael McGarry, Bat Centre, Durban
2000 Kwazulu Natal Young artist exhibition, Tecnikon Natal Art Gallery, Durban
1999 Kraker exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
residencies
2010 – 2011 Pro-Helvetia Residency, Basel, Germany
awards
2003 – 2004 Painting prize, Durban Institute of Technology
2002 Emma Smith Art Scholarship Merit Award
1998 Best Painting Student, Pro-Arte, Alpyn Park, Pretoria
collections
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
Foundation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris
Pro-Arte Fine Art Collection, Pretoria
teaching / curating
2012 – 2013 Part time lecturer of painting, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch
2007 – 2010 Full time history of art, painting, art and culture and technology teacher (head of department) at Carpe Diem Academy, Pretoria
2005 Co-curator, the black and white poster project, DIRT Contemporary, Cape Town
2001-2002 Red Eye’s visual art curator, Durban Art Museum, Durban
