Jane Alexander | South African Artist

Jane Alexander
South Africa
b.1959 - Present
Image: African Adventure by Jane Alexander

Jane Alexander was born in Johannesburg in 1959. Her father’s family came from Berlin. Alexander studied art at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1982 and her Master’s degree in 1988. In 1982, she was awarded the University of Witwatersrand’s Martienssen Student Prize.

In 1987, Jane Alexander began teaching English in Namibia from 1988 till 1989, she taught art at a secondary school in Cape Town. Between 1990 and 1997, she worked periodically as a curator at the University of Cape Town’s Irma Stern Museum. Her international career began in 1994 with her participation at the Havana Biennale, followed by the Venice Biennale in 1995. In the same year, Jane Alexander also received the Standard Bank Young Artist Award, and a year later she won the FNB Vita Art Now Award. During 1996 and 1997, she taught part-time at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town. In 2000, she received the DaimlerChrysler Award for South African Sculpture

Jane Alexander lives and works in Cape Town. Besides working as a freelance artist, she also teaches sculpture, photography and drawing at the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Arts.

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Biography:
Group Exhibitions
Exhibition / Installation, 2000
1994
„5. Biennale von Havanna“, Ludwig Forum für zeitgenössische Kunst, Aachen
„Un Art contemporain d’Afrique du Sud“, Galerie d’Esplanade, La Defence, Paris
“5th Havana Biennial”, National Museum of Fine Arts et al., Havanna
“Xit, election exhibition”, South African Association of Arts, Metropolitan Life Gallery, Cape Town

1995
“Identita e Alterita”, Biennale di Venezia, Palazzo Grassi, Venice

1996
“Contemporary South African Art 85-95 from the South African National Gallery Permanent Collection”, South African National Gallery, Cape Town
“Fault Lines”, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town
„Colours – Kunst aus Südafrika“, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
“First National Bank Vita Art Now”, Award Exhibition, Johannesburg Art Gallery

1997
“Lifetimes”, Out of Africa Kulturfestival, Munich
“South African Abhorrescence: End of the Century’s Artists”, Arts Festival Nantes
“Photosynthesis”, Standard Bank National Arts Festival, Grahamstown

1998
„Triennale der Kleinplastik“, Europa-Afrika, SüdwestLB Forum, Stuttgart
“Cape Town: Works on Paper”, Canberra Institute of the Arts
“Africa Africa”, Tobu Museum of Art, Tokyo
“Bringing up Baby”, The Castle of Good Hope, Kapstadt, Standard Bank Gallery, Grahamstown Arts Festival
“DAK’Art Biennale de l’art africain contemporain“, Dakar

“Showing and Telling“, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Johannesburg

1999
“Global Art“, Galerie Seippel, Cologne
“South Meets West“, National Museum, Accra
“Emergence“, Albany Museum Grahamstown, Standard Bank Arts Festival
“Lines of Sight“, South African National Gallery, Cape Town

2000
“7th Havana Biennial“, Wilfredo Lam Centre, Havanna
“Voices of Southern Africa“, British Museum, London
“A.R.E.A. “, Kjarvalsstadir, Reykjavik
“Retreks:unSUNG City, How the other half…”, Kings Parkade, Eloff Street, Johannesburg

“Secure the Future: Care and Support for Women and Children with HIV/Aids in Africa”, fundraising exhibition of the international Aids Society Conference Durban, Washington D.C., Bruxelles, Boston
“partage d’exotismes/sharing exoticisms”, 5. Lyon Biennial
“Cross Currents: Contemporary Art Practice in South Africa”, Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School, Somerset
„South Meets West“, Kunsthalle Bern und Historisches Museum Bern 2000

2001
“Head North, Visual Cultures Dialogue”, Bildmuseet, Umea/Sweden
“The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa 1945-1994”, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich Haus der Kulturen der Welt im Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York
“Africa Today, the Artist and the City”, Barcelona Center for Contemporary Culture
“World Wide Video Festival”, Amsterdam

2001/2002
«Dis/Location, Photo Espana 2001», Circulo de Bellas Artes Madrid, Sala Rekalde, Bilbao, Centro Cultural de Maia, O’Porto

2002
„Zeitgenössische Kunst aus Südafrika», Kunst:Raum Sylt-Quelle, Rantum, Kunstverein Zehntscheuer, Rottenburg/Neckar


Solo Exhibitions
Exhibition / Installation, 2000
1986
„Sculpture and Photomontage“, Market Gallery, Newtown, Johannesburg

1995/96
Standard Bank Young Artist Award landesweite Wanderausstellung

1999
“Bom Boys and Lucky Girls”, University of Cape Town, Irma Stern Museum

2000
„Jane Alexander“, Gasworks, London

2002
DaimlerChrysler Konzernzentrale, Forum Stuttgart-Möhringen
Daimler Chrysler Contemporary, Potsdamer Platz Berlin
Pretoria Art Museum

2003
Art Museum Bloemfontein
South African National Gallery, Cape Town