Studio Johannesburg | William Kentridge in Conversation with Christopher Blay

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September 10, 2023 | SOLD OUT

On closing day of the exhibition William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows, South African artist William Kentridge visits the MFAH to discuss his work with Houston-based artist and curator Christopher Blay. The conversation focuses on Kentridge’s studio practice, and how the history of South Africa and the present-day realities of Johannesburg have shaped his life and work.

Event Admission | SOLD OUT
Tickets to this event, free with Museum admission, have reached capacity. A standby line will be available for any unclaimed seats. No late seating.

Plan Your Visit
The conversation takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater in the Law Building, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. The exhibition is on view in the Beck Building. On Sundays, the Museum is open from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

About the Speakers
William Kentridge has anchored his studio practice in charcoal drawing, which he has expanded into printmaking, film, sculpture, and performance. He grew up in apartheid-era Johannesburg and continues to live there. His art explores South Africa in transition from an oppressive, racially segregated society to an uncertain and challenging democracy. He is the founder of the Centre for the Less Good Idea, an interdisciplinary incubator space for the arts that aims to find the less good idea by creating and supporting experimental, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary arts projects.

Christopher Blay is chief curator at the Houston Museum of African American Culture. Before joining the HMAAC, Blay worked as news editor at “Glasstire,” an independent curator, and curator for the Art Corridor Galleries at Tarrant County College–Southeast in Arlington. Among his recent projects are Ellsworth Ausby: Odyssey and El Franco Lee II: Mid-Career Survey at HMAAC, as well as installations of his own work at Barry Whistler Gallery in Dallas and at the Ion District’s artist residency in Houston.