17/12/2025
Ben Botma... We salute you!
As an outstanding artist but also as a remarkable human being.
We remember you with respect and honour.
Four extraordinary artists, whose works form an integral part of Oliewenhuis Art Museum's Permanent Collection, are being celebrated until April 6th, 2026! Justinus Khoalibe, Ben Botma, Christiaan Diedericks, and Andries Gouws - each a master of mark-making in their chosen medium - have left an indelible impression on the South African art world before their recent passing.
Through a selection of sculpture, charcoal drawings, prints, and paintings, this exhibition reveals not only their technical brilliance but also the distinctive creative voices that defined each practice. In celebrating these artists, we honour the permanent marks they imprinted on South African audiences and the broader art world - marks that continue to resonate, inspire, and invite contemplation.
Together, these four artists demonstrate the expansive possibilities of mark-making - from Khoalibe's intuitive carving to Botma's conceptual investigations, from Diedericks's technical virtuosity to Gouws's contemplative precision. Each left permanent impressions that extend far beyond the physical marks on their chosen surfaces. Their legacies live on in collections, in the artists they influenced, and in the enriched visual culture of South Africa. Marks of Mastery invites audiences to experience how four distinct creative voices, united by their commitment to the fundamental gesture of making marks, continue to speak to us with clarity, complexity, and enduring relevance.
For more information, please contact the Museum at 078 968 4300 or oliewen@nasmus.co.za. Stay up to date by following Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and X for all upcoming exhibitions and events.
[FROM MATERIAL RECEIVED]
