The Alliance Française de Mitchells Plain will open its first-ever art exhibition on Saturday 30 May, giving two local Portland artists a platform to show their work. Entry is free.

The show, titled Portland’s Own — Eltie Arts & NJB Art and Design CPT, opens at 11:30 and runs until 14:00 at the centre’s premises at 18 Wall Street.

It will remain on display until 30 June, with works by both artists available for purchase throughout the run.

A first for the institution

The exhibition is the first time the Alliance Française de Mitchells Plain has given its gallery walls entirely to artists from the local Portland community. The two featured artists — Elton Arendse, who works under the name Eltie Arts, and Noeraan Jordan Bardien, known as NJB Art and Design CPT — are both Portland residents.

“Mitchells Plain has always been a community of extraordinary creative talent. What it has historically lacked is not the artists — they have always been here — but the stages and galleries to give that talent its rightful visibility. This exhibition is a declaration: that the Alliance Française de Mitchell’s Plain intends to be one of those stages. We are not waiting for the world to discover our community’s artists. We are introducing them ourselves,” said Dr Alicia English, Board President, Alliance Française de Mitchell’s Plain.

More than a language school

The Alliance Française de Mitchells Plain is part of a global network of 832 institutions in 131 countries, but the Mitchells Plain branch is firmly rooted in its local community. Alongside French language classes, it offers cultural events, film screenings, music sessions, and now a visual art programme.

Earlier this year, the French Ambassador to South Africa, David Martinon, visited the centre together with the Consul-General of France in Cape Town, Sophie Bel, and Jean Spiri of the Institut Français d’Afrique du Sud. The visit drew attention to the centre’s standing as a French cultural institution operating within one of South Africa’s most historically overlooked communities.

The exhibition will also open up a second gallery space inside the Alliance’s training room.

Meet the artists

Elton Arendse paints bold, emotionally charged works in acrylic on canvas, rooted in the tradition of Abstract Expressionism and the lived experience of the Cape Flats. His paintings are felt before they are fully understood.

“Through every piece,” he says, “I aim to create art that speaks beyond words and connects deeply with people.” His long-held dream is to one day fill an entire show with his own work — and the 30 May exhibition brings him a significant step closer.

View his portfolio at eltieartwork.my.canva.site or follow him on Instagram @eltieartwork.

Noeraan Jordan Bardien works across painting, illustration, and design. Her practice is drawn to what others tend to pass by: everyday moments, small details, and quiet, overlooked spaces.

“I believe beauty can be found in the smallest details, ordinary moments, and overlooked spaces,” she says, “and I use my art to bring those perspectives to life.” Her work asks viewers to slow down and look more carefully — a quality that feels especially meaningful in a community like Portland.

Follow her on Instagram @NJBARTANDDESIGNCPT.

A community with deep creative roots

Mitchells Plain has a long and largely unrecognised artistic history. The internationally known street artist Falko One began painting his distinctive murals in the area in the late 1980s; they now appear worldwide. The Mitchells Plain Art Group, founded in 1988, produced artists who went on to exhibit at international venues, including the Grand Palais in Paris. The Alliance Française de Mitchells Plain places itself deliberately within that tradition — and places Arendse and Bardien within it too.

“Creative expression is not a luxury — it is a language. And every person in Mitchells Plain deserves to speak it, to see it reflected back at them, and to have it valued. That is what this exhibition stands for. We celebrate Elton and Noeraan not simply as talented individuals, but as representatives of a community that has always had more to say than the world has been willing to hear,” said Dr Alicia English, board president.

Exhibition details:

• Opening event: Saturday 30 May — 11:30 to 14:00
• Exhibition runs: 30 May to 30 June
• Venue: Alliance Française de Mitchells Plain, 18 Wall Street
• Entry: Free. All welcome.

Artworks by both artists are available for purchase at the opening and throughout the exhibition.

For more information, call 069 957 8853 or email alliancefrancaisemplain@gmail.com

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