KIMBERLEY – A major retrospective exhibition honouring the life and work of Johannesburg-born multidisciplinary artist Sophie Peters will soon opens in the William Humphreys Art Gallery (WHAG) in Kimberley.
“Running with the Wolves Whilst Playing with the Eagles” celebrates more than three decades of Peters’ visual storytelling. It traces her journey from the streets of Johannesburg’s inner city to her recognition as one of South Africa’s most resilient and spiritually grounded visual artists.
Journey thus far
Born in Kliptown in 1968 and largely self-taught, Peters began her creative journey in apartheid South Africa, carving tomato trays into makeshift linocut plates and transforming scarcity into innovation.
Her art – spanning painting, illustration, printmaking, ceramics, mural and sculpture – embodies both vulnerability and defiance, echoing the exhibition’s title through the poetic dance between survival and tenderness.
Through her images of women in conversation, children at play, and township life rendered in bold lines and vibrant colours, she captures both the everyday and the eternal.
Her work engages themes of memory, spirituality, community, and womanhood.
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Having emerged from the township-based art movement of the 1980s, Peters’ art chronicles the lived experiences of Black South Africans with warmth, humour, and resilience. Her pieces have featured in major group exhibitions across South Africa and remain significant within the country’s printmaking legacy.
“When things go wrong and nobody wants to talk about it… I make some art and I let it go through the press and there I tell my story,” Peters once said in conversation with art historian Mario Pissarra.
Each year, WHAG dedicates its third quarter to celebrating an established yet under-recognised artist. In 2025, this honour fittingly belongs to Peters. This will be her first solo exhibition in more than two decades, curated by Chepape Makgato, chief curator of WHAG.
- The opening of her exhibition takes place on Thursday 27 November at 17:30 for 18:00. The opening address will be delivered by Prof. Debra Meyer, acting vice-chancellor and principal of the Sol Plaatje University.
- Peter’s exhibition will be on view until 28 February.
Attend painting masterclass with artist
- On Friday, a total of 15 participants can attend a painting masterclass with Peters from 09:30 for 10:00. The fee is R350 per person and includes art materials.
- The artist’s walkabout is set for Saturday at 11:00 during which Peters will lead a guided walkabout through the exhibition, sharing personal insights and experiences behind key works.
WHAG is one of South Africa’s three national art museums. Established in 1952, WHAG houses an extensive collection that spans European old masters, South African modernists, and contemporary African artists, reflecting the dynamic intersection of local and global art histories.
- Confirm attendance with Zaakirah Nooroodien at zaakirah@whag.co.za or dial 053 831 1724 for more information on any of these event.
