(b. 1988 Cape Town, South Africa)
'My paintings draw their inspiration from a photographic starting point. My intention though is not to recreate a photograph, but rather to allude to what is referenced. My work deals a lot with memory and the recollection of time and events or encounters passed. I try to paint in a way that evokes the unreliability of memory but also the dream-like feeling we give it, especially if that memory is positive. Hence I paint in away that is vague or potentially non-descriptive but which leaves visual cues as to what may or may not be there.’ - Swain Hoogervorst, 2024
Swain Hoogervorst is based in Cape Town. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts from Vega (2010). He was selected as a top 100 finalist in the ABSA L’Atelier Competition in both 2013 and 2015. Residencies include Schildersweek in the Netherlands (2013), Arteles Creative Centre in Finland (2015), Mas des Graviers in France (2019) and Cité internationale des arts in Paris (2022).
Hoogervorst has participated in exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His first solo exhibition Inside Out was at the AVA Gallery in Cape Town (2014). Searching Eudaimonia (2017) marked his solo debut at Everard Read in Cape Town, followed by In Between Spaces (2020) and Time is a Long Thin Hand (2022) at Everard Read in Franschhoek. Hoogervorst curated an international group show, The InvisibleThread (2023), at the AVA Gallery, Cape Town. Hoogervorst is represented by Everard Read in South Africa and in the UK. His work can be found in private collections (in the UAE, US, UK, Brazil, France, Australia,Germany and Belgium) and public collections, including the Spier Arts Trust in South Africa.
Qualifications
2010 BA Creative Brand Communications, Vega School, Cape Town, South Africa
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Tomorrow, Everard Read, Cape Town
2022 Time is a Long Thin Hand, Everard Read, Franschhoek
2020 In Between Spaces, Everard Read, Cape Town
2018 Making Pictures, Everard Read , Cape Town
2017 Searching Eudaimonia, Everard Read, Cape Town
2014 Inside Out, AVA Gallery, Cape Town
Residencies
2022 Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
2019 Mas Des Graviers, Pourrières, France
2015 Arteles Creative Centre, Hämeenkyrö, Finland
2013 Schildersweek, Domburg, the Netherlands
Group Shows
2025 (Upcoming) Summer Show, Everard Read, London, UK
2025 (Upcoming) Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK), Oudtshoorn
2025 (Upcoming) Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Everard Read, Cape Town
2024 Little Life, Everard Read, Cape Town
2024 Inner Sight, Knysna Fine Art, Knysna
2024 Inner Sanctum, Everard Read, Johannesburg
2024 The Allegory of Painting, Knysna Fine Art, Knysna
2024 FNB Art Joburg Art Fair, Everard Read, Johannesburg
2024 Winter Show, Everard Read, Franschhoek
2024 Homecoming, HUB Gallery, Cape Town
2024 Two Years and Ten Meters, Cité internationale des arts, Paris
2024 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Everard Read, Cape Town
2023 The Other’s Warmth, Everard Read, Cape Town
2023 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Knysna Fine Art, Knysna
2023 Cosmos, Everard Read, Franschhoek
2023 Collide, Featherstone Centre for the Arts, Martha's Vineyard, US
2023 Winter, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town
2023 Waiting Room, Nel Gallery, Cape Town
2023 Horse Paintings, Under Art Projects, Cape Town
2023 The Lost Art of Running, Berlin Braves HQ, Berlin
2023 K4, Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK), Oudtshoorn
2023 The Invisible Thread (International Group Show) curated by Swain Hoogervorst, AVA Gallery, Cape Town
2022 Spring, Everard Read, Franschhoek
2022 Seduction, Everard Read, Cape Town
2022 Painter! Painter!, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town
2022 Things I would like to remember, Everard Read, Cape Town
2022 Weave, Cité internationale des arts, Paris
2022 Fever, Norval Foundation and Boschendal, Franschhoek, Cape Town
2021 In // Conversation, Everard Read, Cape Town
2020 Summer Show, Everard Read, Cape Town
2020 Still, Everard Read, Cape Town
2020 Proxies, Gallery Gallery, Johannesburg
2019 Summer Show, Everard Read, Cape Town
2019 Land and Sea, Art on Avenues, Somerset West, Cape Town
2019 New Small Paintings, Pop Up Exhibition, Roodebloem Studios, Cape Town
2019 Winter Show, Everard Read, Cape Town
2018 Summer Show, Everard Read, Cape Town
2018 Nano 1.2, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town
2018 Making Pictures, Cubicle Series, Everard Read, Cape Town
2018 Winter Show, Everard Read, Cape
2018 In the forests of the night, Everard Read CIRCA, Johannesburg
2018 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, with Everard Read, Cape Town
2017 Nano 1.1, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town
2017 Spectrum, Everard Read, Johannesburg
2016 Liminal Geographies, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town
2016 Line and Shadow, CIRCA Gallery, Johannesburg
2016 Death of the old, Kalashnikovv Gallery, Johannesburg
2016 Stars and Tracks, The Project Room, Windhoek, Namibia
2016 For what it’s worth, No End Contemporary, Johannesburg
2016 Pastoral Abstraction, Everard Read, Cape Town
2015 Defining the Narrative, Gallery MOMO, Cape Town
2015 Homage, Everard Read, Cape Town
2014 Pool Party, Alma Martha Project Space, Cape Town
2014 Golden Haze, Salon 91, Cape Town
2014 /SCAPE, Salon 91, Cape Town
2013 One in a Million, Salon 91, Cape Town
2013 Absa L’Atelier Top 100 , Johannesburg
2013 Schildersweek, Domburg, Netherlands
2012 Summer Show, Salon91, Cape Town
2012 { Impression; Sunset } Salon91, Cape Town
Collections
Spier Arts Trust (SA) as well as private collections in the UAE, US, UK, Brazil, France, Australia, Germany and Belgium.
Achievements
2015 Top 100 Barclays L’Atelier Competition
2013 Top 40 finalist Absa L’Atelier Competition
2013 Invited artist at Schildersweek, Domburg, the Netherlands
Publications
2015 Art Needs You, The Barclays L'Atelier Award, Dr Paul Bayliss, 978-0-620-66441-7
2014 Art South Africa Volume 13 issue02, The Controversy Issue, Brendon and Suzette Bell-Roberts, 16846133
2013 Imagine the untapped talent of the subconscious, The Absa L'Atelier Award, 978-0-620-57231-6
Reviews and Features
2023 Podcast: Swain Hoogervorst: Painting Pizzazz
2021 Interview: Wild and Free, Living Space Magazine (print and online)
2021 Podcast: The Art Investor: EP.3 Swain Hoogervorst
2020 Review: Pneuma: Swain Hoogervorst's 'In Between Spaces'
2020 Podcast: Art Pod E13 - Interview with Swain Hoogervorst
2017 Interview: Ends and Means: Swain Hoogervorst's 'Searching Eudaemonia'
2016 Feature: Investing in Art: Swain Hoogervorst
2015 Podcast: In Finland with Swain Hoogervorst
2014 Feature: Bright Young Things: Swain Hoogervorst
2014 Review: Inside Out, an Exhibition of Paintings by Swain Hoogervorst
2013 Feature: Featured: Swain Hoogervorst
2013 Video: Ray-Ban Presents: The #envisionseries