In a groundbreaking art exhibition at the William Humphreys Art Gallery (WHAG) in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, the concept of walking becomes a powerful metaphor. It symbolises presence, connection to the land, and the enduring legacies of those who came before us.
This solo exhibition of Ulric “Namasun” Roberts from the Namaqualand is titled “Walk”. It is groundbreaking that, for the first time in the gallery’s history, an African artist is presented in a solo exhibition of this scale. Also, it is within a specific wing that, for many years, exclusively showcased European artists.
Roberts was recently presented by the WHAG, in partnership with the MTN Foundation, as the 2025 resident artist.
Work a testament to interplay of personal, collective memory
His practice embodies a deep interrogation of history, identity, and memory, engaging with the layered complexities of contemporary African narratives through a visual language that is both evocative and transcendent.
A committed community artivist, Roberts is deeply engaged in land advocacy issues in Concordia, Namaqualand, where he is a member of the Communal Property Association and lives and work. His recent participation in a group exhibition at AVA Gallery in Cape Town sought to highlight the dire consequences of this destruction, amplifying the voices of those impacted by corporate encroachment.
Born and raised within a milieu rich in cultural hybridity, Roberts’ work is a testament to the interplay of personal and collective memory. His work is rooted in the visual traditions of Southern Africa, yet keenly attuned to global conversations on decolonisation and the reclamation of indigenous knowledge systems.
His multidisciplinary approach—spanning painting, printmaking, and installation—unearths histories often marginalised, offering a counter-narrative that invites critical engagement.
The Walk art exhibition, a significant part of his recent studio practice, presents a deeply personal homage to his late father Raymond Roberts, who passed away in 2021. Through a distinct body of work that includes oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, found-object installations, and sound pieces, Roberts meditates on themes of life, memory, and ancestral wisdom.
This art exhibition comprises over array of works. It includes six paintings and installations, with key pieces such as “Resolution”, “Remembering the Songlines”, “Serendipity”, “Connecting in the Grey”, “Walk to Heal”, “Heal to Walk” and “Tyd stap Aan”.
Underscoring universality of movement, transition
Through the use of wheelchairs, shoes, and walking sticks as metaphors, he acknowledges the varied ways people move through spaces, whether on wheels, with assistance, or on foot. This participatory element underscores the universality of movement and transition, reflecting the shared human experience of navigating personal and historical landscapes.
The striking thing about Roberts’ work is his use of pointillism, a meticulous painting technique.
This method, which requires intense labour, involves creating or literally putting down countless small dots onto the canvas. His colour palette within this technique can also be seen as a way of regrouping oral storytelling traditions, transforming them into his contemporary visual narratives on canvas.
By doing so, he invites his audience to walk with him as he navigates the ancient ways of knowledge transfer from one generation to the next.
The Walk art exhibition sees the history of segregation colliding and conflating with contemporary narratives, as some elements of WHAG’s founding collection—historically curated through a colonial lens—are integrated into the exhibition. Curatorially speaking, we walk down and past the historical colonial walls, challenging and decolonising the ways in which art is viewed in a national museum on the African continent.
Celebrating resilience of African storytelling traditions
In his solo art exhibition at WHAG, the culmination of his residency, audiences can expect a body of work that not only challenges the rigidity of colonial archives but also celebrates the resilience of African storytelling traditions. By employing materials and techniques that bridge the past with the present, Roberts crafts a visual lexicon that speaks to endurance, memory, and the transformative power of art.
Through this partnership with the MTN Foundation, WHAG reaffirms its commitment to fostering artistic excellence and critical discourse. Ulric “Namasun” Roberts’ residency serves as a conduit for reimagining the ways in which art can serve as both a witness and an instigator of historical reckoning.
His practice encourages us to engage with history not as a distant relic but as an active, evolving narrative that continues to shape our collective futures.
- Visit the WHAG on Facebook, or dial 053 831 1724 for more information.
- Chepape Makgato is the chief curator of the William Humphreys Art Gallery
