“Art is animated by the invisible forces that govern the universe.” Taking this statement by poet and statesman Léopold Sédar Senghor as its point of departure, Bode gallery is hosting its very first group exhibition at its Cape Town studio: SYMPTOM: Invisible Forces. Open from 11 December 2025 to 7 February 2026, the exhibition explores surrealism as a living, spiritual reality within a contemporary African context through the work of ten remarkable artists.
For these artists, surrealism is not merely performance; it is manifestation. They offer a vital transformation that turns the absurd and the dream into something visible. Each participant activates the tension between the ordinary and the strange, summoning figures from across worlds and treating memory and myth as living focal points of investigation.
Systemic Absurdity and Collective Destiny
The artists refuse the comforting language of reassurance. Instead, they construct powerful visual statements that expose the uncanny absurdity of systemic power. At the heart of the exhibition lies the interweaving of individual and collective destinies—those of the living and the dead.
Featured artists include Yonela Doda, Thero Makepe, Masindi Nafisa Mbolekwa, Cinthia Sifa Mulanga, Ntsako Nkuna, Natalie Paneng, Thando Phenyane, Tshepo Phokojoe, Zilien, and Mhlonishwa Zulu. Together, this collective redefines surrealism through African eyes—not simply as an art movement, but as a social and spiritual reality.
Exhibition Title: SYMPTOM: Invisible Forces
Venue: Bode @thestudio, Cape Town (Bode’s inaugural Cape Town group exhibition)
Dates: 11 December 2025 – 7 February 2026
