Thania Petersen joins Ames Yavuz

20 Nov 2024

Ames Yavuz is thrilled to announce representation of acclaimed South African artist Thania Petersen.

Petersen is a multi-disciplinary artist whose discourses focus on textiles, multi-sensory performance and installations. A direct descendant of Tuan Guru — an Indonesian Prince in the late 1700s brought to South Africa by the Dutch as a political exile — Petersen explores personal and historical identities by reconstructing herself in varied guises and theatrical personas. As a Cape Malay woman, her reference points include the history of African colonial imperialism, contemporary consumer culture, her personal ancestral rituals, and the legend and myths of Sufi Islamic religious ceremonies.

Petersen studied at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art in London (2001–03). Her works are in the collections of notable museums and galleries including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C.; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town; Pérez Art Museum Miami, Florida; National Museum van Wereldculturen, Rotterdam; the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Curitiba; Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam; Dallas Art Museum, Texas; and 32BIS, Tunis. Petersen has also delivered numerous public art projects, with interventions on the streets of Verona, billboards on Sunset Boulevard, public buses in Brazil, train stations in Japan, and bus terminals in Malaysia

Thania Petersen, FAATI GAYAATI, 2024, hand-embroidered textile, embroidery thread on cotton poplin and linen, metal beads, glass beads, painted carved wooden birds, 245 x 175 x 8 cm (framed).

In her debut with the gallery, Petersen will present new works as part of our upcoming presentation at Art Basel Miami Beach from 4–8 December.

Petersen’s textile and embroidery works trace ancestral routes to present-day Cape Town and the migration of shared songs, crafts and stories. Seeking to retell histories from a place of love rather than violence, these works are inspired by her engagement with traditional musicians, craftspeople, theatre makers and storytellers from across Africa and Asia. Weaving these stories together, Petersen strives to restore lost friendships, broken songs and histories that have been buried and erased by colonialism and apartheid.

Installation view of Thania Petersen in Selections from the Collection at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), Cape Town, 2024. Courtesy of MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa.
Installation view of Thania Petersen in Indigo Waves and Other Stories at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), Cape Town, 2024. Courtesy of MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa.
Thania Petersen, Kassaram, 2020, single channel video, 12:11 minutes, edition 4 of 5 + 2AP

Image (Top): Profile of Thania Petersen, photographed by Oliver Kruger.