Igshaan Adams

Igshaan Adams (born 1982) is a South African artist working on tapestries and textile-based sculptures, installations, and performance. His work has been included in the 59th Venice Biennale: The Milk of Dreams, in 2022; and the 2023 São Paulo Biennial: Choreographies of the Impossible. Quotes I feel really good about the show. I think it’s a little bit like scratching an itch – something I’ve been wanting to do and finally got to do. The show is called Between Then and Now, and it refers to the corridor connecting the two big galleries we occupy. That’s what I loved about linoleum floors – they’re almost personal documents capturing experience. Not factual research; I never interviewed the families. I wanted space for my own imagination without taking their stories. Igshaan Adams: Between Then and Now,SLEEK, (18 February 2026) They have become mental boundaries, because people tend to stick to the spaces that they were allocated. They still don't leave; I think most people might not appreciate how difficult it is to exit. In Luxembourg, Igshaan Adams translates his past into beautiful, large-scale works(10 March 2026) I sometimes say that creating artworks for me is almost having a conversation with my soul. My sculptures are a never-ending work. I add materials in different moments, and leave them aside in the studio for years at times because with my sculptures there is no intention or agenda. It is about trying out new ideas. It is a mental state to be able to break free from patterns and expectations. Igshaan Adams,sculpture(6 July 2021) I sometimes say that creating artworks for me is almost having a conversation with my soul. I’m Muslim, but I also identify as being homosexual which is very conflicting. I had no clue, even, that I could make a living off this. I was looking really at identity and asking is it possible to be yourself in every situation. At the time I was still thinking I will conform, I will probably get married to a woman. What I was saying in that work was that I need to acknowledge the fact that this part of me still is there – it’s just being contained by the religion I choose to follow. It’s not going to go anywhere. It shows up more as the conflict, the internal struggle. I don’t want to sit with the same issue; I definitely want to grow. But for now I am having fun with where I’m at. I’m hoping that people will see that if you look at my work it’s always just been a very personal statement. I’m not trying to say anything about Islam in general because I just don’t know enough to say something about that. The only thing I feel like I really know is myself – so that’s what I can speak about. I think it’s inevitable that the work would be read politically because of the materials that I use and I can’t get away from that but I certainly don’t create from that point of view. It’s always about me, about my own home, family and community and the roles they have played in developing me. I always try to look at the work from my perspective and keep it about me. Conversations with my soul: an interview with Igshaan Adams(2 November 2017) The importance of having a space like the AVA here in Cape Town shouldn't be underestimated. I think it's vital for any thriving art community to have a space that remains neutral in that sense. You know, as a non-commercial space. As far as I know, all the great artists that has come from South Africa have had a show here at AVA. I feel like every single artist at some point will have a show here. The longer that initial period of experimentation and discovery, I believe, the greater your chances of longevity as an artist, which essentially is the most important thing. To remain active within the art world. Igshaan Adams | Visual Artist,AVA External links Category:Artists from South Africa Category:Visual artists Category:Living people Category:1982 births