Dreams, memory, symbolism and the subconscious come together in The Poets Are Working, a major group exhibition curated by Anna-Michelle Roux in collaboration with Strauss & Co. and the Kilbourn Collection.
Drawing inspiration from Surrealism and its enduring influence, the exhibition brings historical and contemporary artists into conversation, exploring how imagination can offer new ways of understanding the world around us. At a time marked by uncertainty and rapid change, the exhibition asks what happens when artists look beyond logic and turn instead to dreams, intuition, spirituality and inner experience.
Works from the Kilbourn Collection by artists including Frederick Hutchison Page, Alexis Preller, Keith Alexander and Penny Siopis are presented alongside leading contemporary voices from Southern Africa. Together, they reveal how Surrealist ideas continue to resonate across generations, cultures and artistic practices.
The exhibition moves through themes of transformation, memory, landscape, identity and the subconscious. From dreamlike figures and uncanny environments to symbolic objects and intuitive processes, the works invite viewers to enter spaces where reality becomes fluid and familiar narratives are reimagined.
Featured artists include Jozua Gerrard, Stuart Dods, Paul Wallington, Marlene Steyn, Justine Mahoney, Dominique Cheminais, Manyaku Mashilo, Andile Dyalvane, Thebe Phetogo, Thando Phenyane, Zanele Muholi, Zander Blom, Mankebe Seakgoe, Usha Seejarim, Nandipha Mntambo and Kamyar Bineshtarigh, among others.
Taking its title from a phrase used by French poet Saint-Pol-Roux, who would place a sign on his door reading “The Poet Is Working”, the exhibition celebrates the power of imagination as a space of inquiry, resistance and possibility.
Finissage Event
Dream Worlds: African Artists and the Legacy of Surrealism
Saturday, 27 June 2026, 11am until 1:00pm
Join artist Manyaku Mashilo, artist and curator Thando Phenyane, Strauss & Co. Senior Art Specialist Elmarie van Straten and curator Anna-Michelle Roux for a panel discussion exploring the lasting influence of Surrealism in contemporary African art.
The conversation will examine themes of dreams, symbolism, spirituality and storytelling, while considering how artists continue to engage with Surrealist ideas in ways that speak to both personal and collective experience.
RSVP recommended. Seating is limited.
Editors note: This is a substantial and thoughtfully curated exhibition that places important historical works alongside some of the most compelling contemporary artists working in Southern Africa today.
