Tears of a Man by Neo Theku and HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips by Genevieve Clarke

Curated by Chepape Makgato

Opening: Thursday, 16 July 2026, 17h30 for 18h00
Venue: William Humphreys Art Gallery

Opening speaker: Mr. Tuelo Gabonewe (author, TV producer, filmmaker and lecturer at Sol Plaatje University)

 

The William Humphreys Art Gallery (WHAG) is pleased to present its 2026 Duo Exhibition, featuring Tears of a Man by Neo Theku and HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips by Genevieve Clarke. Drawn from a pool of outstanding finalists from the 2026 WHAG Artist-in-Residence Programme, the exhibition forms part of WHAG’s Youth Month Development Programme, an initiative dedicated to nurturing emerging artistic talent and creating professional exhibition opportunities for young practitioners. The residency programme is a cornerstone of WHAG’s commitment to artistic development, providing artists with opportunities to research, experiment, produce new work, and engage the public through exhibitions and educational activities.

This compelling pairing brings together two distinct yet complementary mediums of photography and acrylic painting to examine the complexities of human identity, memory, vulnerability, and presence. Through markedly different visual approaches, both artists investigate the traces of humanity that remain imprinted upon the body, the psyche, and the social world.

At the center of Neo Theku’s Tears of a Man is his photographic work 3 God’s Dream, which presents a figure whose face is entirely obscured by tightly wound fabric. Emerging from the concealed head are three burning candles, transforming the portrait into a powerful symbolic monument of endurance, sacrifice, spirituality, and resilience. The image confronts deeply entrenched societal expectations surrounding masculinity and emotional expression, challenging the notion that vulnerability should remain hidden. The wrapped face suggests silenced narratives, suppressed identities, and unspoken pain, while the flickering candles evoke remembrance, faith, hope, and the gradual toll of emotional burdens carried in silence. The work speaks to generations of men conditioned to internalise grief, anxiety, and emotional struggle rather than openly confront them. Through photography’s capacity to capture both physical presence and psychological depth, Theku constructs an image that oscillates between portraiture, performance, and spiritual allegory, becoming a poignant meditation on the emotional cost of silence and the enduring search for healing and self-revelation.

Genevieve Clarke’s HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips approaches the human condition from a different perspective. Constructed through hundreds of repetitive fingerprint-like acrylic marks, her portrait LadySkolie gradually emerges from a dense field of individual impressions. The work rewards sustained looking; from a distance, a recognisable face materialises, while closer inspection reveals a surface composed entirely of accumulated traces. In choosing to depict the celebrated South African artist LadySkollie, Clarke not only pays homage to a contemporary cultural figure but also foregrounds questions of identity, representation, and visibility. The exhibition title cleverly merges “hue” and “human,” drawing attention to skin, individuality, diversity, and our shared humanity. The fingerprint functions as both symbol and method, reminding us that each person is unique, yet simultaneously shaped by countless interactions and experiences. Drawing on the visual language of Pointillism and the aesthetics of digital pixelation, Clarke assembles the image through innumerable discrete marks that collectively form a coherent whole. Through this tactile and labour-intensive approach to painting, she proposes identity as layered, constructed, and continually negotiated. She emphasizes a complex mosaic of personal histories, social encounters, inherited memories, and the enduring imprints left by human connection.

 

Collectively, the two exhibitions engage with the notion of the imprint. In Clarke’s work, the imprint is literal, visible in every painted mark that contributes to the formation of the portrait. In Theku’s work, the imprint is psychological and emotional, manifesting through absence, concealment, and symbolic gesture. One artist reveals identity through accumulation; the other reveals it through obscuration. One foregrounds touch and material presence; the other foregrounds emotional weight and internal experience.

The dialogue between painting and photography enriches the exhibition’s conceptual framework. Photography’s immediacy allows Theku to capture a singular moment of emotional intensity, while painting’s layered process enables Clarke to explore identity as a gradual and cumulative construction. Together, the works invite audiences to consider how individuals are shaped by both what is visible and what remains hidden.

 

As part of WHAG’s ongoing mandate to support emerging artists and foster critical engagement with contemporary issues, this duo exhibition demonstrates the vitality of South Africa’s next generation of cultural practitioners. Through distinct visual languages, Neo Theku and Genevieve Clarke offer nuanced reflections on what it means to be human in a world marked by memory, expectation, difference, and connection.

Tears of a Man and HUE(man) Imprints – At Your Fingertips ultimately remind us that every human being carries a constellation of visible and invisible marks and traces of experience, emotion, history, and belonging. Together, these exhibitions present a powerful meditation on humanity itself, inviting viewers to reflect on the imprints we inherit, the imprints we leave behind, and the stories that reside beneath the surface.

 

Opening Reception: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Time: 17h30 for 18h00
Curator: Chepape Makgato
Presented by: William Humphreys Art Gallery (WHAG)

To secure your spot for the opening reception, kindly RSVP at kagiso@whag.co.za.

NB: Capacity is limited and only 180 people will be allowed to reserve their spots. RSVP closes on 13 July 2026 at 16h30.