BIOGRAPHY

Wessel van Huyssteen has been active as an artist, community arts educator, lecturer, curator and film maker since 1986. He has been nominated and won several local and international documentary film awards. In 2016 he started painting full time again and has since held three solo exhibitions and attended three international residencies as invited artist. He completed his Masters of Art in Fine Arts at Wits University in 2017 and passed with distinction. He has collaborated in several South African group exhibitions and his works are in the South African National Art Bank collection in Bloemfontein, Glo’Art International collection in Maastricht, Belgium as well as the Philippe and Kinga de Chandelar Petro Collection in Hungary.

He is mainly interested in the landscape and the concept of non-place and how to engage this phenomena in the age of the Anthropocene . He held his first solo exhibition titled, How to paint a highway, at Point of Order Project space at Wits University in 2017. This exhibition consisted of a series of large scale watercolor on paper paintings, inspired by travels on the N1. He investigated this structure within the landscape as both a unifying and dystopian South African space. In August 2018 he held his second solo exhibition, Under a cobalt sky, at Gallery2 and his third, Between the Grid and the Mark in August- September 2020, also at Gallery2 in Johannesburg. His medium of choice remains watercolor but in his recent solo exhibition he included several mixed media and sculptural works. In 2021 He was invited to Nirox Foundation artist residency. His work is currently on display and will be installed as part of the permanent collection.

Fine Art Exhibitions 2021- Sept – November. SculptX. Melrose Gallery. Johannesburg. 2021- August – October. Nirox Foundation - Installation in Main studio. Cradle of Humanity World Heritage Site. Johannesburg 2021 September 2021 – March 2023.South African Art @ Ninety One. Curated by ARTIQ - London 2021 - July 2021. Free State Art Collective. Gallery2, Johannesburg. 2021 - February. Online. International Watercolour Art Fair. India 2021 - January-February. Salon Show curated by artist and gallerist Luan Nel at Nel Gallery, Cape Town. 2020. Online Latitudes Art Fair. Ongoing. 2020 - 8 August-15 September. Between the Grid and the Mark - Solo exhibition @ Gallery2. Johannesburg 2020, July-August. Journey of our Mind. Everard Read Gallery, Franschoek., South Africa. 2020 - 15 February-20 April. Attended artist residency at Entabeni Farm in Knysna by invitation of SAFFCA. 2020 - 20 Feb-22 March, Art Night. A celebration of Queer art to coincide with Cape Town Pride curated by Luan Nel. Nel Gallery, Cape Town 2019 - 1-6 July 2019 - Betwixt and Between - An exhibition by the Free State Art Collective curated by Karen Brusch for the Free State Arts Festival. In September 2019 Exhibition travelled to Gallery2 in Johannesburg. 2019 - 11-14 July 2019 - RMB Turbine Art Fair. Represented on fair by Free State Art Collective and Gallery 2. 2019 - 1-31 August 2019 - Invited artist to attend international residency program at Budapest Art Factory. 2018 - SEE ART: Contemporary Drawing – Curated by Derek Zietsman – Gallery 2. (artist) 2018 - Bank 001: Emerging Contemporaries - In Toto Gallery. (artist) 2018 - Under a Cobalt Sky - Solo exhibition at Gallery 2. (artist) 2017 - Emerging Visions: Telling the South African Story. The launch of the South African National Art Bank. Oliewenhuis Art Museum. (artist) 2017 - Masters Exhibition How to Paint a Highway - Point of Order, Wits University. (artist) 2014 - Sasol New Signatures Finalist, Pretoria Art Museum (artist). 2014 - Showcase 2 - Baylis Gallery curated by Gordon Froud (artist). 2007 - Produce/Direct/Edit film “Miss Lellerap Raw” in collaboration with Isolde Krams. 2006 - Isolde Krams Solo Exhibition – ABSA Art Gallery JHB – Wessel van Huyssteen Produced/Directed/Edited the film “It is so beautiful it almost looks artificial” exhibited as part of this exhibition. 1998 - Katlehong Art Centre Artists – Sandton Civic Gallery (Artist) 1997 - Dreams and Clouds – Cultural Centre, Stockholm (Co-Curator) 2004 - Perspective 30 – Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery (Artist) 1998 - Rewind, Fast-Forward - Van Reukum Museum, Holland. (Coordinator) 1994 -1995 - Gay Rights Rites Re-Writes – Martin Melckhuis in Cape Town, Oliewenhuis Art Gallery, Bloemfontein and Gertude Posel Art Gallery. Wits University (Artist/Co-Curator) 1985 - SA Students Exhibition - Grahamstown Arts Festival (Artist) 1984 - Rolfes Impressions – Johannesburg Art Gallery (Artist)

Awards 2021 – Invited artist Nirox Foundation residency, Cradle of Humanity World Heritage Site, Johannesburg, South Africa. 2020 – Invited artist to Entabeni Farm Residency, Knysna, by invitation of the South African Foundation of Contemporary Art SAFFCA. 2019 – Invited artist Budapest Art Factory Residency – Budapest. 2017 – Invited artist Glo’Art International Residency – Maastricht 2014 - Won -Silicon Valley African Film Festival - Best newcomer for a documentary short – (Mentor) 2014 - Nominated – Golden Panda – Best documentary Short – Imbokodo (The Rock) (Mentor) 2014: SAFTA - Won best Cinematographer and Editor in a Documentary Short – Waterborne - (Mentor & Executive Producer) 2013: Won - Montreal Black Film Festival - Best Documentary Short - My Last Swim (Mentor) 2012: DSTV Film Awards - Nominated for best newcomer. Umbrellaman – (Executive Producer) 2012: DSTV Film Awards - Nominated 'Best Cinematography', 'Best Sound' and 'Best Newcomer'. - A Procura de Pancho (Executive Producer) 2012: SAFTA - Nominated best factual entertainment – Secret to Survival (Producer) 2012: SAFTA - Nominated best cinematography – The Karaoke Killers (Producer/Writer) 2012: SAFTA - Nominated Best Documentary Short – The Karaoke Killer (Producer/Writer) 2012: DSTV Film Awards - Won Best Newcomer -A Procura de Pancho – (Executive Producer) 2011: SAFTA - Nominated best documentary short. Playground of Carnage (Producer/Director) 2010: Won Best Documentary Film (International Category) in Turkey at the International Istanbul Architecture and Urbanism Film Festival 2010. “Litshe le Golide”. The film was produced by Guy Adam Ailion & Andrew Ross Bell. (Executive Producer/Mentor) 2009: SAFTA - Nominated Best Cinematography in a Feature Documentary – Custodians of the Country Side. (Producer/Director/Writer/DOP/Editor) 2009: SAFTA - Nominated Best Feature Documentary – Custodians of the Country Side (Producer/Director/Writer/DOP/Editor) 2008: SAFTA - Nominated Best Factual Entertainment – Solving It 3 (Producer/Director/Writer) 2005: SAFTA (South African Film and Television Award) - Won Best Factual Entertainment – “Solving It 1” SABC3 (Producer/Director) 2005: SAFTA - Nominated: Best Feature Documentary – “3rd Sex” (Producer/Director/Writer) 2000: Avanti - Won Craft Award: Best research – “Between the Lines” eTV. (Producer/Researcher) 1995: USIS Scholarship: Visited US on two-month research trip. 1984: Merit Award - Rolfe’s Impressions ’84 – Johannesburg Art Gallery