The Art of Existing brings together new work by emerging artists Careshia Esperanza and Kyle Jardine at AVA Gallery, Cape Town, from 18 June to 30 July 2026.

At its core, the exhibition explores a question many people are grappling with today: how do we define ourselves in a world that feels increasingly complex and fast-moving? Through painting and mixed media, both artists reflect on identity, belonging, memory, and the search for connection.

Although their visual approaches are very different, the conversation between their works feels natural. Kyle Jardine creates vibrant, imaginative paintings that draw from memory, theatre, design, and personal storytelling. His compositions are filled with characters, objects, and places that feel both familiar and dreamlike. Beneath their playful surfaces are reflections on masculinity, romance, beauty, and the emotional significance we attach to people and possessions throughout our lives.

Careshia Esperanza’s work takes a more introspective approach. Focusing on the female figure, she explores themes of womanhood, resilience, vulnerability, and personal transformation. Through expressive linework and carefully considered colour, her paintings capture moments of reflection and emotional honesty. Rather than presenting identity as fixed, her work suggests it is something continually shaped by experience, memory, and growth.

What makes The Art of Existing engaging is the way both artists use personal stories to explore broader human experiences. Their works move between confidence and uncertainty, solitude and community, creating a thoughtful dialogue about what it means to find your place in the world.

The exhibition does not shy away from themes of isolation, change, and self-discovery, but it remains ultimately hopeful. Together, Esperanza and Jardine present creativity as a way of understanding ourselves and connecting with others, offering an exhibition that feels both deeply personal and widely relatable.