Biography

Thania Petersen (b. 1980, Cape Town) is a South African multidisciplinary artist who uses photography, performance, and installation to address the intricacies and complexities of identity in contemporary South Africa. Recent exhibitions include Thania Petersen, Nicodim, Los Angeles (2023, solo, forthcoming); Galeria Nicodim, Bucharest: 10 Years, Galeria Nicodim, Bucharest (2023, forthcoming);  ndigo Waves and other Stories, SAAVY Contemporary, Berlin (2023); Indigo Waves and other Stories, Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town (2022–2023); Artists’ Film International (traveling), Whitechapel, London, Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, and others (2022); Can We Sing Together, Old Friend?, 32 Bis, Tunis (2022, solo); Triennale Kleinplastic Fellbach: The Vibration of Things, Alte Kelter Fellbach, Fellbach (2022);  Where Do I Begin, Stevenson, Cape Town (2022);  KASSARAM, Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town (2021, solo); Indian Ocean Craft Triennial: Curiosity and the Rituals of the Everyday, Fremantle, Australia (2021); Self-Addressed, curated by Kehinde Wiley, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles (2021); Un.e Air.e de Famille, Musée d’art et d’histoire Paul Eluard, Saint-Denis (2021); Between Land and a Raised Foot, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa (2019, solo); Radical Love, Ford Foundation, New York (2019); and IQRA, WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town (2019, solo). Her work is collected by the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), Cape Town;  IZIKO South African Museum, Cape Town; Pérez Art Museum, Miami; and many others.