b. 1948, Cape Town, South Africa; lives in Cape Town.
In painting, installation and performance, Randolph Hartzenberg produces quiet, seemingly un-obtrusive works that gradually reveal a great depth of symbolic content. Hartzenberg’s deliberate use of normal objects acts as the surface of his practice of thoughtful political and conceptual engagement, exploring questions of power, labour and race within South African society.
- Domestic Baggage
- Map of the Neighbourhood
- Ground Left Behind
- Graphics & Paintings
- Performance
- Installation & Sculpture
- Documentary
- Video
- CV
- Texts
Staking Claims catalogue
One and another – Art South Africa, Volume 8, Issue 3, Autumn 2010 – article by Randolph Hartzenberg
Grahamstown National Arts Festival Performance, 2012
Randolph Hartzenberg, created “Three Days” for the Making Way exhibition curated by Ruth Simbao at the 2012 National Arts Festival. The performance took place at Fort Selwyn in Grahamstown.
Art Education
2023: ASAI Print Access Workshop, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town.
2015: ASAI In Print, Print Access Workshop Series, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town.
1994: Master of Art, Fine Art, University of Cape Town.
1989: Bachelor of Art (BA), Fine Art, University of Cape Town.
1982: Higher Diploma in Education, Drama, University of Cape Town.
1968: Certificate Art Teaching, Hewat Training College.
2015: ASAI In Print, Print Access Workshop Series, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town.
1994: Master of Art, Fine Art, University of Cape Town.
1989: Bachelor of Art (BA), Fine Art, University of Cape Town.
1982: Higher Diploma in Education, Drama, University of Cape Town.
1968: Certificate Art Teaching, Hewat Training College.
Solo Exhibitions (South Africa)
2008: Prints, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town.
1996: Map of the Neighbourhood, Metropolitan Life Gallery, Cape Town.
1994: Domestic Baggage, Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town, Cape Town.
1996: Map of the Neighbourhood, Metropolitan Life Gallery, Cape Town.
1994: Domestic Baggage, Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town, Cape Town.
Group Exhibitions (South Africa)
2023: Stoned: Remembering the 1980's, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2023: Kevin Atkinson-Art and Life, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town.
2016: Burr, the AVA/Strauss & Co. print portfolio, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2015: In Print/ In Focus, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town.
2012 - 2013: Making Way, Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg; Grahamstown Art Festival, Grahamstown.
2009: Dada South, Iziko South African National Gallery (ISANG), Cape Town.
2007: africa south, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2007: ReCenter, Look-out Hill, Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
2006: Facing the Past: Seeking the Future — Reflections on a Decade of Truth and Reconciliations Commission, Iziko South African National Gallery (ISANG), Cape Town.
2006: Amajita in Conversation, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2005: Botaki 3, Old Mutual Asset Management, Cape Town.
2004: Botaki, Old Mutual Asset Management, Cape Town.
2002: Outdoor Sculpture Biennial, Spier Farms, Stellenbosch.
2001: Telling Tales, 3rd I Gallery, Cape Town.
2001: Homeport, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town.
2000: Kwere Kwere: Journeys into Strangeness, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.
1999: Staking Claims, The Granary, Cape Town.
1998: !Xoe Site Specific, organised by Ibis Art Centre, Nieu Bethesda.
1998: 30 Minutes, Robben Island Prison Complex, Robben Island.
1997: Hong Kong, etc., 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg.
1997: District Six Sculpture Project, Cape Town.
1997: Cyst: Works in Paint, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town; Sandton Civic Gallery, Johannesburg.
1996: Hardground Printmakers in collaboration with Stellenbosch University Gallery, Stellenbosch University Gallery, Stellencosch.
1996: Faultlines, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.
1978 - 1979: Response To The Detentions, Space Theatre Gallery, Cape Town
1968: Artcom, Argus Gallery, Cape Town.
2023: Kevin Atkinson-Art and Life, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town.
2016: Burr, the AVA/Strauss & Co. print portfolio, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2015: In Print/ In Focus, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town.
2012 - 2013: Making Way, Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg; Grahamstown Art Festival, Grahamstown.
2009: Dada South, Iziko South African National Gallery (ISANG), Cape Town.
2007: africa south, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2007: ReCenter, Look-out Hill, Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
2006: Facing the Past: Seeking the Future — Reflections on a Decade of Truth and Reconciliations Commission, Iziko South African National Gallery (ISANG), Cape Town.
2006: Amajita in Conversation, Association for Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, Cape Town.
2005: Botaki 3, Old Mutual Asset Management, Cape Town.
2004: Botaki, Old Mutual Asset Management, Cape Town.
2002: Outdoor Sculpture Biennial, Spier Farms, Stellenbosch.
2001: Telling Tales, 3rd I Gallery, Cape Town.
2001: Homeport, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town.
2000: Kwere Kwere: Journeys into Strangeness, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.
1999: Staking Claims, The Granary, Cape Town.
1998: !Xoe Site Specific, organised by Ibis Art Centre, Nieu Bethesda.
1998: 30 Minutes, Robben Island Prison Complex, Robben Island.
1997: Hong Kong, etc., 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg.
1997: District Six Sculpture Project, Cape Town.
1997: Cyst: Works in Paint, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town; Sandton Civic Gallery, Johannesburg.
1996: Hardground Printmakers in collaboration with Stellenbosch University Gallery, Stellenbosch University Gallery, Stellencosch.
1996: Faultlines, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town.
1978 - 1979: Response To The Detentions, Space Theatre Gallery, Cape Town
1968: Artcom, Argus Gallery, Cape Town.
Group exhibitions (International)
2003: Kwere Kwere: Journeys into Strangeness, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
1999: Dialogue, Arhus, Denmark.
1995: Transitions, Bath Festival, UK and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1995: Siyawela: Love, Loss and Liberation in South African Art, Curated by Colin Richards, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, UK.
1995: Venice Biennale (participant in work by Malcolm Payne), Venice, Italy.
1994: Displacements, Curated by Jane Taylor and David Bunn, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.
1999: Dialogue, Arhus, Denmark.
1995: Transitions, Bath Festival, UK and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1995: Siyawela: Love, Loss and Liberation in South African Art, Curated by Colin Richards, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, UK.
1995: Venice Biennale (participant in work by Malcolm Payne), Venice, Italy.
1994: Displacements, Curated by Jane Taylor and David Bunn, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.
Performances
2013: Three Days, Making Way, Curated by Ruth Simbao, Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg.
2012: Three Days, Making Way, Curated by Ruth Simbao, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown.
2000: I Want To Hear My Brother, The Granary, Cape Town.
1996: The Ninth Haptic String, Faultlines, The Castle, Cape Town.
1991: Eight Haptic Strings, Michaelis Gallery, University of Cape Town.
1982: Member of the Community Arts Workshop, (CAP) Mime Group, Culture and Resistance Festival, Gaborone, Botswana
1977: Hand Signals, Space Theatre Gallery, Cape Town.
1976: The Zoo has Nothing to Hide, Space Theatre Gallery.
2012: Three Days, Making Way, Curated by Ruth Simbao, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown.
2000: I Want To Hear My Brother, The Granary, Cape Town.
1996: The Ninth Haptic String, Faultlines, The Castle, Cape Town.
1991: Eight Haptic Strings, Michaelis Gallery, University of Cape Town.
1982: Member of the Community Arts Workshop, (CAP) Mime Group, Culture and Resistance Festival, Gaborone, Botswana
1977: Hand Signals, Space Theatre Gallery, Cape Town.
1976: The Zoo has Nothing to Hide, Space Theatre Gallery.
Collections
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
The Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town.
The University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg.
Vodacom, Cape Town.
The Block Gallery, Northwestern University, Chicago.
Norad, Oslo.
The Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town.
The University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg.
Vodacom, Cape Town.
The Block Gallery, Northwestern University, Chicago.
Norad, Oslo.
Commissions
2003: Breadline/Waterline, Amsterdam.
2000: Breadline/Waterline, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
1995: Commissioned participation in Malcolm Payne’s installation for the Venice Biennale, Italy.
2000: Breadline/Waterline, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
1995: Commissioned participation in Malcolm Payne’s installation for the Venice Biennale, Italy.
Residencies
1996: Artist in Residence, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Publications
2014: Mario Pissarra, Quiet Provocations: thoughts on two sculptures by Randolph Hartzenberg, https://asai.co.za/artist/randolph-hartzenberg/
2011: Thembinkosi Goniwe, Mario Pissarra and Mandisi Majavu (eds), Visual Century Vol.4, Wits University Press, Johannesburg.
2010: Randolph Hartzenberg, One and Another, Art South Africa 8(3): 12.
2008: Deela Khan, Salt on my breath. https://asai.co.za/artist/randolph-hartzenberg/
2007: Thembinkosi Goniwe, Mario Pissarra and Mandisi Majavu (eds), Visual Century Vol.4, Wits University Press: Johannesburg.
2005: Mario Pissarra (ed), Botaki Exhibition 3: Conversations with Donovan Ward, Old Mutual Asset Managers, Cape Town.
2004: Mario Pissarra (ed), Botaki: Conversations with South African artists, Old Mutual Asset Managers, Cape Town.
1999: Emma Bedford, Staking Claims: Confronting Cape Town, South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
1997: Clare Menck and Johann Louw in collaboration with the William Fehr Collection and the Sandton Civic Gallery, Cyst: Works in paint, The Artists' Press, White River.
1997: Emma Bedford, Contemporary South African Art, South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
1997: Sue Williamson, Thirty Minutes: Installation by nine artists, Robben Island Museum, Cape Town.
1997: Philippa Hobbs and Elizabeth Rankin, Printmaking in a Transforming South Africa, David Philip, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
1996: Sue Williamson and Ashraf Jamal, Art in South Africa: The future present, David Phillip Publishers, Cape Town.
1995: Clive van den Berg, Panoramas of Passage: Changing landscapes of South Africa, University of Witwatersrand Art Galleries, Johannesburg and Meridian International Centre, Washington DC.
1992: Joe Dolby and Deon Viljoen, Friends’ Choice 1975-1991 / Vriende Se Keuse 1975-1991, Friends of the South African National Gallery sponsored by Creda Press, Cape Town.
1988: Gavin Younge, Art of the South African Townships, Thames and Hudson, London.
2011: Thembinkosi Goniwe, Mario Pissarra and Mandisi Majavu (eds), Visual Century Vol.4, Wits University Press, Johannesburg.
2010: Randolph Hartzenberg, One and Another, Art South Africa 8(3): 12.
2008: Deela Khan, Salt on my breath. https://asai.co.za/artist/randolph-hartzenberg/
2007: Thembinkosi Goniwe, Mario Pissarra and Mandisi Majavu (eds), Visual Century Vol.4, Wits University Press: Johannesburg.
2005: Mario Pissarra (ed), Botaki Exhibition 3: Conversations with Donovan Ward, Old Mutual Asset Managers, Cape Town.
2004: Mario Pissarra (ed), Botaki: Conversations with South African artists, Old Mutual Asset Managers, Cape Town.
1999: Emma Bedford, Staking Claims: Confronting Cape Town, South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
1997: Clare Menck and Johann Louw in collaboration with the William Fehr Collection and the Sandton Civic Gallery, Cyst: Works in paint, The Artists' Press, White River.
1997: Emma Bedford, Contemporary South African Art, South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
1997: Sue Williamson, Thirty Minutes: Installation by nine artists, Robben Island Museum, Cape Town.
1997: Philippa Hobbs and Elizabeth Rankin, Printmaking in a Transforming South Africa, David Philip, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
1996: Sue Williamson and Ashraf Jamal, Art in South Africa: The future present, David Phillip Publishers, Cape Town.
1995: Clive van den Berg, Panoramas of Passage: Changing landscapes of South Africa, University of Witwatersrand Art Galleries, Johannesburg and Meridian International Centre, Washington DC.
1992: Joe Dolby and Deon Viljoen, Friends’ Choice 1975-1991 / Vriende Se Keuse 1975-1991, Friends of the South African National Gallery sponsored by Creda Press, Cape Town.
1988: Gavin Younge, Art of the South African Townships, Thames and Hudson, London.
Links
<div>A study of protest art under an apartheid regime Crossing Project article by Poppy Morris</div>
Deela Khan, Salt on My Breath, (ASAI, 2008).
Mario Pissarra, Quiet Provocations: Thoughts on two works by Randolph Hartzenberg, (ASAI, 2014).
