Sharp geometry, saturated colour and flawless surfaces give Andrzej Urbanski’s paintings the precision of digital images, concealing the painstaking work of the artist’s hand.

Everard Read Cape Town, V&A Waterfront

SHIFT – the weight of order | Andrzej Urbanski at Everard Read Cape Town

5–28 November 2026

Cape Town-based artist Andrzej Urbanski presents SHIFT – the weight of order, a solo exhibition at Everard Read Cape Town. Known for his meticulously constructed abstract paintings, Urbanski uses overlapping geometric forms, sharply defined edges and bold fields of colour to create compositions that hold a surprising amount of movement within their precise arrangements.

Spray paint is central to his technique. Its smooth, flat finish removes almost every visible trace of the artist’s hand, giving the paintings an appearance closer to digitally generated imagery. Behind these immaculate surfaces lies a carefully planned process, informed by digital design tools, the repeating patterns of fractals and Urbanski’s fascination with how complex forms can emerge from simple structures.

Born in Poland in 1983 and raised in Berlin, Urbanski first encountered spray paint through the city’s graffiti culture. He later studied at ECAL University of Art and Design in Lausanne, Switzerland, before a residency brought him to Cape Town in 2012. He has since established himself in South Africa, exhibiting internationally and developing a distinctive approach to hard-edged abstraction.

For all their mechanical precision, Urbanski’s paintings are rooted in human experience. Memory, emotion and encounters with the physical world find their way into compositions where colour and geometry carry as much weight as the structures that contain them.

Exhibition Opening | Thursday, 5 November 2026 | 18:00
Everard Read Cape Town, 3 Portswood Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

Exhibition closes | Saturday, 28 November 2026

Images courtesy of Everard Read and Andrzej Urbanski.