From the Karoo to the city: Liza Grobler extends a national conversation at HUB Gallery
By CityLife Arts Writer
Following her role as curator of the 30th Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) visual arts programme this year, Liza Grobler brings a considered selection of that work to Cape Town in a new exhibition presented by Spier Arts Trust (SAT) and hosted at HUB Gallery in Cape Town.
The show, titled ‘’n Greep uit Grenslose Gesprekke’ (a phrase, translating as ‘A Byte from Limitless Conversations’, presented at the KKNK theme ‘Dialogues across Place and Time’), draws from the curatorial framework that shaped this year’s KKNK visual arts programme, which took place from 28 March to 4 April 2026. At the festival, this took the form of 22 distinct visual arts projects spanning installation, video, painting and site-specific work.
The HUB Gallery exhibition is a distilled continuation of that offering: a selection of works brought together for how they speak to one another across differences. At its core is an interest in connection, not through similarity, but through contrast.
‘What began in the Karoo as a wide-ranging conversation now shifts into a city context,’
Grobler explains. ‘By selecting works that remain in dialogue with one another, the exhibition becomes a kind of mobile version, a way of carrying that conversation forward, but allowing it to be seen differently.’
The exhibition brings together artists from across South Africa and beyond, spanning different regions, practices and career stages. Many of these artists would not typically be shown alongside one another, but here they meet on an equal footing. The result is a non-hierarchical exhibition that prioritises exchange over categorisation.
Included are works originating from key moments within the KKNK programme, including the landmark anniversary exhibition ‘Plek/Place’, as well as site-specific and time-based works that extend beyond traditional gallery formats. Also referenced is 2026 KKNK festival artist nomThunzi Mashalaba, whose solo exhibition ‘So, I Let Silence Explain’ formed a central part of the programme.
Presented by Spier Arts Trust at HUB Gallery in Cape Town, the exhibition reflects an ongoing commitment to supporting artists and curators beyond the festival moment, extending visibility, strengthening partnerships and creating space for conversations that might not otherwise happen. More than a recap, this is a continuation: a quieter, more concentrated encounter that asks what happens when work is lifted from one context and allowed to speak again in another.
Alongside the exhibition, a press morning scheduled to follow the Kanna Awards in May will include the launch of a catalogue documenting the 30th KKNK visual arts programme.
The exhibition arrives at a moment of recognition within the South African arts landscape. Several KKNK participating artists have been nominated for the Kanna Awards, including Hannah Peyton and Diane Victor, whose work ‘Brother Bear in Africa’ was presented in South Africa for the first time at the KKNK following international acclaim. Grobler has received nominations for both her curatorial work on ‘Plek/Place’ and her collaborative practice.
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: ’n Greep uit Grenslose Gesprekke
Curator: Liza Grobler
Presented by: Spier Arts Trust (SAT)
Venue: HUB Gallery, 25 Commercial Street, Cape Town
Dates: 7 May – 25 June 2026
Press Morning & Catalogue Launch: 15 May 2026 (TBC)
For more information on HUB Gallery visit https://houseunionblock.co.za/