a quick look at the exhibition
what: An international contemporary art exhibition featuring 5 Cape Town artists.
partners: Cape Town Creative Academy (CTCA), EIGEN + ART Gallery (Leipzig/Berlin), & Museum Bensheim (Germany).
launch timeline: Premiered in Cape Town; opens in Bensheim, Germany, in October 2026.
featured artists: Katherine Bull, Alka Dass, Sara Matthews, Vusumzi Nkomo, & Guy Simpson.
core focus: Materiality, memory, identity, and bridging academic degree study with the global art market.
At the Cape Town Creative Academy (CTCA), higher education isn’t confined to theoretical lectures or studio assignments that stay within campus walls. As the only private higher education institution in South Africa offering a dedicated Bachelor of Arts degree program in Contemporary Art, CTCA is built on a foundational promise: connecting students directly with the active, global art world.
A prime example of this philosophy is Intertwined Narratives, a major international collaborative exhibition opening in Bensheim, Germany, following its initial run in Cape Town.
By partnering directly with Germany’s prestigious EIGEN + ART Gallery and the Museum Bensheim CTCA demonstrates how tertiary creative education can build sustainable, international pathways for emerging artists, alumni, and industry networks.
the concept: 5 distinct voices, one shared exploration
Intertwined Narratives brings together five contemporary Cape Town artists whose practices span generations, media, and conceptual frameworks: Katherine Bull, Alka Dass, Sara Matthews, Vusumzi Nkomo, and Guy Simpson.
Rather than attempting to offer a generalised overview of South African art, the exhibition focuses on an intimate encounter with five distinct artistic approaches. What unites these artists is not a shared aesthetic language, but a rigorous engagement with perception, memory, identity, and the everyday materials that carry the traces of human history.
the featured artists
- katherine bull: Uses drawing, painting, and performance to interrogate the relationship between analogue art-making and digital imagery.
- alka dass: Combines textiles, cyanotypes, and found materials with personal archives to explore family history, identity, and belonging.
- sara matthews: Works in performance and participatory art to challenge social conventions, audience roles, and public behaviour.
- vusumzi nkomo: Operates across installation, video, sound, sculpture, and performance to engage with historical memory, language, and the aftermath of colonial violence.
- guy simpson: Utilises painting and sculpture to investigate urban decay, ordinary surfaces, and material transformation in living environments.
how ctca integrates real-world art practice into education
For CTCA, integrating real-world industry practice into the curriculum is central to student development. The Intertwined Narratives project illustrates how CTCA bridges academia and the global creative economy:
- direct industry & institutional access: Students engage in studio visits, gallery curation, and direct dialogue with established international curators like Franziska Jaster (EIGEN + ART) and Dr. Jan Christoph Breitwieser (Museum Bensheim), alongside CTCA’s Dr. Francois Jonker.
- material as visual memory: The curriculum emphasises thinking through making. In “Intertwined Narratives”, everyday materials, such as scrap industrial parts, textiles, and found objects, are treated not just as visual mediums, but as archives that store memory and social history.
- navigating local & global audiences: By extending exhibition footprints from Cape Town to European cultural centres, CTCA prepares artists to navigate international art markets, institutional residency demands, and cross-cultural dialogue.
- transdisciplinary collaboration: The project shows how fine art practice intersects with participatory performance, digital technology, site-specific installations, and historical research.
a model for sustainable international exchange
Exhibitions like “Intertwined Narratives” represent more than a temporary showcase; they establish a sustainable model for international creative exchange.
For EIGEN + ART, the project grew out of extensive research into the Cape Town art scene, focusing on long-term relationships rather than quick commercial transactions. For the Museum Bensheim, it brings global contemporary perspectives directly to regional European audiences, proving that international art dialogue isn’t reserved exclusively for major capitals.
For CTCA students and graduates, this collaborative framework provides a direct roadmap for how contemporary art functions beyond the classroom—transforming academic study into an active, lifelong career on the global stage.
quick faqs about the exhibition
What is the”Intertwined Narrative” exhibition? Intertwined Narratives is a collaborative contemporary art exhibition featuring five Cape Town artists (Katherine Bull, Alka Dass, Sara Matthews, Vusumzi Nkomo, and Guy Simpson). Co-curated by the Cape Town Creative Academy (CTCA), EIGEN + ART Gallery, and Museum Bensheim, the exhibition explores themes of memory, identity, and material culture across South Africa and Germany.
How does CTCA integrate real-life art practice into its degree programs? CTCA integrates real-world art practice by connecting undergraduate and postgraduate students directly with professional gallery curators, studio visits, museum exhibitions, and international networks. As the only institution in South Africa offering a specialised BA in Contemporary Art, CTCA emphasises practice-based research, material exploration, and professional industry exposure.
Where is the “Intertwined Narratives” exhibition taking place? Following its initial presentation and research phase in Cape Town, South Africa, the exhibition opens at the Museum Bensheim in Germany, creating an international cultural dialogue between South African artists and European audiences.
