Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town has launched three new exhibitions across its grounds in collaboration with artists and institutions.
The exhibitions are The Foreign Familiar at Magugu House Cape Town, co-curated by Designer Thebe Magugu and Contemporary African Art Specialist Julia Buchanan, Interior Weather, curated by Norval Foundation Curator Carmen Joubert, and a sculpture garden by the Goodman Gallery.
Colonial objects and contemporary identity
The Foreign Familiar exhibition at Magugu House Cape Town examines how objects, images and systems introduced through colonialism have been absorbed into Southern African life and reinterpreted through ritual and symbolism.
The exhibition brings fashion and fine art together, including a collaborative sculpture by Magugu and South African Sculptor, Painter and Installation Artist Mary Sibande combining Victorian silhouettes with Basotho blanket-style textiles.
Works on paper by Sibande explore themes of leisure, imagination and Black interiority while sculptures by South African Artist Wim Botha interrogate Western art history through fragmented forms.
The exhibition also extends into Magugu’s Mafeteng capsule collection inspired by the Basotho blanket and its history of colonial exchange and cultural reclamation.
Art integrated into the hotel
Interior Weather is displayed throughout the hotel’s lounges, corridors, patios and salons.
Spanning six decades of African art, the exhibition explores how colour and material shape atmosphere and emotion within a space.
Featured artists include Kate Gottgens, whose work Hot as Hell is included in the exhibition, alongside works by Dada Khanyisa, Eddy Kamuanga Illunga and Modernist Painter Ephraim Ngatane.
Sculpture trail in the gardens
The all-year outdoor sculpture exhibition features works displayed throughout the Mount Nelson’s gardens.
Highlights include Fabric Bronze II by Yinka Shonibare, sculptural works by William Kentridge, Carpobrotus (2026) by Walter Oltmann and works by Ghada Amer incorporating Arabic script.
“The Mount Nelson is a big part of Cape Town’s cultural story,” said Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town GM Patrick Fisher. “Through collaborations with institutions and artists shaping the continent’s creative landscape, we continue to open our spaces to meaningful dialogue and discovery.”
Interior Weather and the Goodman Gallery sculpture exhibition will remain on display until February 2027.
The Foreign Familiar runs until August 27 and is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10h00 and 18h00.
Guests can explore all three exhibitions through ARTROUTE’s complimentary weekly art tour every Thursday at 17h00.
