Biography

Mary Sibande, born in 1982 in Barberton, South Africa, is a contemporary artist currently living and working in Johannesburg. She earned a Diploma in Fine Arts from Witwatersrand Technical College (2004) and a Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Johannesburg (2007). Sibande's work has been featured in numerous prestigious group exhibitions, including the 2023 Sharjah Biennial 15, "Garmenting" at the Museum of Arts & Design, New York (2022), "TEXTURES" at Kent State University, Ohio (2021), "Like Life" at The MET Breuer, New York (2018), and "South Africa: the Art of a Nation" at the British Museum, London (2017). She represented South Africa at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011) and has won notable awards such as the Helgaard Steyn Award (2021) and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Award (2017). Her work is part of major collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, and the Musée d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne, France.

Sibande’s solo exhibitions include "The Wake" at Kunstpalais, Germany (2022); "The Red Ventriloquist" at Musée d’art Contemporain de Lyon (2022); "A Red Flight of Fancy" at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town (2022); "Unhand me Demon!" at Kavi Gupta, Chicago (2021); and "I Came Apart at the Seams" at Somerset House, London (2019). Her work is known for its powerful storytelling and exploration of South African identity and history.

Artist Statement

Mary Sibande's work engages with counter-historical narratives, using the language of dress to bring to life the stories of South African women and challenge Western imperialist depictions of their lives. Drawing heavily from fashion design processes, she tailors her narratives directly onto her characters' clothes, using colour, symbolism, and coded motifs to convey deeper meanings. Sibande's large-scale installations and photography create immersive worlds inhabited by her alter ego, Sophie, who reflects the experiences of her mother and grandmother under apartheid. While Sophie's blue dress and white doek (headscarf) traditionally signify her role as a domestic worker, Sibande reimagines this context, transforming it from one of servitude into a grand, dreamlike reality.