“My work is about making the invisible visible. I am telling the stories of those who came before us, and those who are still fighting to be seen.” – Giggs Kgole (CNN)
Academic and Artistic Foundations
Grand imagination rooted in rural simplicity—this is where Giggs Kgonamotse Kgole’s journey began. Raised in Kutupu Village South Africa, he first moulded clay figurines from river mud—small sculptures hardened overnight by his grandmother in their kitchen stove—planting the seeds of his lifelong artistic pursuit. His early creativity was fanned by enrolling at St John’s College in Johannesburg on a scholarship, followed by mentorship under acclaimed artist William Kentridge. A Presidential Scholarship then took him to Rome, where he balanced university studies with exhibitions—and support from South African cultural authorities who believed in his vision.
Themes: Heritage, Struggle, Resilience
Kgole’s art is an eloquent archive of rural identity under pressure. His visuals speak of a rural world often invisible to urban eyes—and tell stories of abandonment, deferred dreams, and quiet resilience through the simple act of living . In exhibitions such as Badimo Ba Kgole (Kgole’s Gods)—his debut solo show in London—he brought these narratives into stark relief. Over fifteen works mapped near-death experiences and ancestral memory, framed across a spiritual continuum that takes viewers through his heritage’s joys and wounds.
Growing further into his themes, Kgole reveals that much of his inspiration lies embedded in ritual and identity. At age twelve, he underwent Koma—the Pedi initiation rite that marks the journey from boyhood to manhood. The physical and emotional intensity of that experience continues to surface in his artworks as metaphors for personal transformation and strength discovered in adversity . In Boshielo, a radiant anaglyph piece in his Say My Name exhibition, the artist commemorates both his grandmother’s influence and the wider movement for Black women erased by violence, connecting personal memory to urgent social issues .
Signature Media and Techniques
Kgole’s work is visually magnetic—thanks in part to his revival of anaglyphs, a 19th-century 3D technique he discovered online as a teenager. Over five years of self-directed experimentation led him to develop meticulously layered, dual-toned photographic canvases intended to be viewed through 3D glasses, creating both illusion and intimacy with the audience. Beyond this, his canvases are often woven with ceramic textures, collage, textiles, paint, and even digital elements—creating a multisensory encounter that reinforces the depth of the stories he tells .
Critical Acclaim and Social Impact
From the outset, Kgole’s work resonated beyond his hometown. At 19, he became a finalist in the prestigious Sasol New Signature competition and exhibited at Pretoria Art Museum—a breakthrough that unveiled a confident new voice in South African art . Soon after, he co-opened GasLamp Gallery in Johannesburg’s Maboneng Precinct, making him one of the continent’s youngest gallery owners. His trajectory continued upward in Europe: his Divine exhibition in London and Cannes left some visitors moved to tears—“They feel soul in the work,” he reflected . By 2019, Kgole was named in The Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans, and he earned People’s Choice recognition at London’s Young Masters Art Prize for God Ke Mama—a work born from personal hardship and ancestral conversation. During 2024 his work was also auctioned at Christie’s London and he performed at TATE museum.
Kgole channels spiritual heritage through multiple media. His art cherishes ancestral memory through techniques that feel both futuristic and deeply rooted in tradition—creating vital, immersive spaces for dialogue and identity.
After a series of successful exhibitions across Europe and the U.S., Giggs Kgole has recently relocated to Cyprus, where he is preparing for a new solo exhibition focused identity spiritual belonging—set to debut this autumn. The exhibition will be offering the Cyprus audience their first immersive look into Kgole’s unique voice.
