INK: Making Access Visible, ASAI Print Workshops
16th February- 29th March
Weekdays 09:00-16:00 at Michaelis Galleries

INK brings together artists’ work produced through the Africa South Art Initiative’s Print Access Workshops, with a focus on the most recent workshops held at the University of Cape Town
(2024), the University of Witwatersrand, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2025). These works will be exhibited alongside a broader historical overview of ASAI’s printmaking workshops.

Since 2014, these workshops have provided opportunities for artists to access professional printmaking facilities, technical training, and collaborative studio environments that are not always readily accessible. The program supports artists across various stages of their careers and practice, encouraging experimentation and skill exchange.

The exhibition opens on the 16th of February, at 17:00, with an opening address from Dr Greer Valley, Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs, Zeitz MOCAA; and Director, ASAI.

Impressions in Ink: prints from the ASAI printmaking workshop opens this week at the Centre for Visual Arts UKZN.The exhibition showcases images from our linocut print access workshop, hosted at Centre for Visual Arts UKZN in February this year.

Opening: Friday, 17 October 2025
Time: 5 PM
Venue: Jack Heath Gallery, Centre for Visual Art, Ridge Rd, PMB

The Tatham Art Gallery in association with ASAI and the Centre for Visual Arts UKZN, presents Impressions in Ink: ASAI Printmaking Workshop, an exhibition showcasing images from our printmaking workshop at the Centre for Visual Arts UKZN. The exhibition opened Sunday, 17 August 2025 at the Schreiner Gallery with opening speeches from project director and participating artist Mario Pissarra and workshop facilitator Sbusiso Mvelase. The exhibition closes on Sunday, 28th of September 2025 at 4 PM.

• Gallery
• Press

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Impressions In Ink – Exhibition review by Tsholofelo Moche, The Witness, September 26 2025

Print co-lab: Durban, an exhibition featuring works from the workshop at Art Print Studio KZN, opened at the Satellite Gallery, DUT on 10th June 2023.

Click here for exhibition review (The Edge, quarterly Magazine- issue No2. June/July 2023. pp. 5)

• Opening
• Exhibition Poster
• Participants

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Jess Bothma

Sfiso ka-Mkame

Mthobisi Maphumulo

Ncumisa Mcitwa

Robin Moodley

Print co_lab, an exhibition featuring works from the workshop at UCT, opened at the Michaelis Gallery on 10th May 2023.

• Opening
• Exhibition Poster
• Participants

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Thami Kiti

Tony Mhayi

Lionel Davis

Ayesha Price

Ricky Dyaloyi

Sophie Peters

Manfred Zylla

Donovan Ward

Xolile Mtakatya

Zemba Luzamba

Patricia De Villiers

Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi

In Print/ In Focus, an exhibition featuring works from the In Print workshop, along with George Hallett’s portraits of the artists, opened at the Michaelis Gallery on 31 March 2015.

Click here for a review of the exhibition

Click here for documentation of the In Print workshop

Click here for the exhibition catalogue

• Prints
• Opening Night
• Media
• Portraits by George Hallett
• Video documentation

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Iziko South African National Gallery l 15 August – 17 November 2013 l Sanlam Art Gallery 3 December 2013 – 7 February 2014

Against the Grain profiles five wood sculptors from the Cape – Isaac Makeleni, Ishmael Thyssen, Shepherd Mbanya, Timothy Mafenuka and Thami Kiti. Working for decades with little support and public acknowledgment, these artists have produced significant works that are skilful and imaginative, earnest and playful. They address a diversity of themes that engage with the recent and distant past as well as the contemporary present. Against the Grain questions the dominant narratives of South African wood carving, firmly in place since the Tributaries exhibition (1985), that have failed to recognise the existence of black wood-carvers outsides of the “Venda” region. It also questions the reasons behind the low visibility of black African wood sculptors internationally, suggesting that black wood-carvers have been unduly prejudiced since the development of new discourses in contemporary African art since the 1990s.

Click here for the exhibition catalogue

• Participating Artists
• Project Components
• UCT Workshop
• Iziko Exhibition Opening
• Iziko Panel Discussion
• Iziko Installation
• Iziko Workshop
• Sanlam Installation
• Media

Isaac Makeleni (b. Vasco, Cape Town, 1950; d. Nyanga East, Cape Town, 2008)

Ishmael Thyssen (b. Jan Kempdorp, Northern Cape, 1953; l. Retreat, Cape Town)

Shepherd Mbanya (b. Bishop Lavis, Cape Town, 1965; l. Khayelitsha, Cape Town)

Timothy Mafenuka (b. Gugulethu, Cape Town, 1966; d. Khayelitsha, Cape Town 2003)

Thami Kiti (b. Machibini, Eastern Cape, 1968; l. Khayelitsha, Cape Town)

Exhibitions
The exhibition opened at the Iziko South African National Gallery (14 August – 17 November 2013), before travelling to the Sanlam Art Gallery (3 December 2013- 7 February 2014). The exhibition featured 25 wood sculptures by the five artists, accompanied by an additional 9 paintings and panels. These comprised a selection of works produced over three decades. Photographic portraits of the artists were also included, along with a filmed interview (see DVD below). The exhibition was curated by Mario Pissarra and opened by Prof Lize van Robbroeck (SANG exhibition) and Prof Sandra Kloppper (Sanlam exhibition).
Catalogue
A 64 page full-colour catalogue has been produced (print-run of 800 copies). The catalogue text was written by Mario Pissarra and includes an introductory essay along with essays on the individual artists. 800 copies were printed (including 100 hard cover copies), a limited number are still available and can be ordered from ASAI ( admin@asai.co.za).
DVD
A 90 minute interview with Thyssen, Mbanya and Kiti has been produced by ASAI in collaboration with the Centre for Curating the Archive. The DVD is available for researchers and educators at nominal cost.
Workshops
A five-day workshop was held at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in November 2012. The workshop provided a unique opportunity for Thyssen, Mbanya and Kiti to work alongside each other, and to share and learn from each other. A workshop for school pupils was organised by the SANG and Cape Gallery and ran at the SANG Annexe. 
Public discussion
A public discussion was held at ISANG on 8 September 2013. It was organised to coincide with the annual conference of the South African Visual arts Historians (SAVAH). Panelists were Prof Juliette Leeb-du Toit, Prof Anitra Nettleton, curator Sipho Ndabambi and Mario Pissarra.
Online archive
Extensive documentation on the artists and project is published on the ASAI website.

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Workshop organised by Iziko Education Dept and the Cape Gallery on 24 September 2013

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