Chantal Coetzee, a renowned South African artist, has captivated audiences with her thought-provoking artwork that explores themes of history, womanhood, and the African narrative. With a career spanning over three decades, Coetzee’s creative journey has taken her from the Netherlands back to her hometown of Cape Town, where she has become a prominent figure in the local art scene. Through her immersive installations, striking paintings, and mixed-media artwork, Coetzee invites viewers to re-examine themselves, their history, and their place in the world.
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Born in 1966, Coetzee developed a passion for art early on, leading her to pursue a degree in Fine Art from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. After completing her studies in 1987, she moved to the Netherlands, where she delved into the realm of art installation. Collaborating with the late South African fashion designer, Pieter van der Walt, Coetzee created immersive experiences in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. These installations, characterized by vivid colours and giant rotating mobiles, aimed to evoke a childlike playfulness and provide a cathartic escape from the zeitgeist of late 1980s South Africa.
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Returning to Cape Town in 1992, Coetzee joined forces with fellow artist and curator, Sharon Peers, to establish The Seeff Trust Art Gallery on the Foreshore. The gallery made its debut with a massive group art exhibition at The Baxter precinct. In 1997, Peers and Coetzee founded 3RD i GALLERY, located in the historic De Waterkant neighbourhood. The gallery became a platform for promoting emerging and established artists from South Africa and abroad, curating numerous art exhibitions.
As a resident artist at 3RD i GALLERY, Coetzee received several prestigious commissions, resulting in her artwork gracing public spaces across South Africa. Her creations can be found in restaurants, hotels, and corporate spaces in Cape Town, Hermanus, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Umhlanga. In addition to these commissions, Coetzee has exhibited her paintings, photography, and mixed-media artwork in numerous group shows. A notable highlight was her invitation to exhibit in Mälmo, Sweden, as one of four women artists in the show entitled “Under Vatten/Under Water” in 2004.