ADELE VAN HEERDEN
April - May 2026
Adele van Heerden (b. 1989) is a painter living and working in Cape Town. Van Heerden’s practice, characterised by her use of pencil and gouache on drafting film as well as oil and gouache on linen, is informed by the experience of a particular site or place. Her work is dedicated to the careful observation and study of surface, light, reflection and fluidity.
Her work, predominantly centred around urban, natural landscapes, waterscapes, and interior spaces, has recently expanded into a visual exploration of the interplay between water and light, with water being a substance that affects light by refracting and reflecting it.
“As a swimmer, I am drawn to municipal pools, coastal shorelines, lakes and rivers.”
There is an autobiographical component to her practice, a sort of abstracted narration she explores through translating this experience. Painting water started when she was diagnosed with a hip condition that demanded surgery and a lot of rehabilitation. Swimming is an embodied experience for her, where the body serves as a sensory apparatus through which revelations are made.
Her residency at NIROX will culminate in an exhibition opening in late May.
RECENT
RESIDENCY SPACES AND SERVICES
COOLROOM
UPSTAIRS STUDIO
STUDIO
WORKSHOP
LOUNGE/DINING
COTTAGE
LOUNGE
MUSIC ROOM / STUDIO
Accommodation consists of a two-bedroom double-story house facing north overlooking the Sculpture Park, with a large double-volume studio, mezzanine work space, lounge, dining and entertainment facility.
A separate self-contained 2-bedroom cottage facing west overlooks the water, sheltered from the afternoon sun by aged Bushwillows.
Residencies are fully serviced with meals prepared by Dorah Pilane and Maria Mwase in the house kitchen, good 'rural' wifi, and assistance with sourcing materials, building and making to good standards by our management, ground staff and through the facilities at the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture.
A short walk across the lawns of the Park is the Coolroom Complex, a large multi-functional workshop/studio and a Screening Room with cinema seating.
The Sculpture Park's 30-hectare garden is shared with the public on weekends and with pre-arranged visitors during the week. Residents’ privacy is protected, but it is in the nature of the Foundation’s purpose to encourage engagement.
The restaurant, ‘And then there was Fire...’ is open to the public through reservations. Residents are encouraged to enjoy its active program of music, performance, culinary school, yoga, talks, poetry, fashion and related activities.
Residents have access to the adjoining 1000 hectare Khatlhaphi Private Nature Reserve, a wilderness of hills and valleys populated with a diversity of local game and birdlife.
RESIDENTS' WORK AND ACTIVITY
There is no fixed work imperative. Residents are encouraged to interact with each
other, local arts and other communities; to collaborate and create compelling
experiences. In particular, we press residents to experience and contribute to the extraordinary work of the Columba Leadership Academy, whose residency is hosted in the park, instilling values, hope and inspiration to lead youths from the most underserved communities of South Africa. NIROX’s reach into local life provides opportunity for engagement with museums, institutions, galleries, academia, artists and other communities.
Residents are required to leave an artwork or other suitable record for the
NIROX Foundation Archives.
APPLICATIONS FOR RESIDENCY
There is no call for applicants nor a fixed application process. If you are interested, contact us at info@niroxarts.com, and we will begin a conversation. Please include a CV, artist's statement, portfolio of work, biography, or the likes along with a short text on why you are interested, and have questions you would like us to answer.
ALUMNI
Since its inception, NIROX has hosted more than 400 artists-in-residence.
Jake Aikman
Sophia Ainslie
Akindiya Akirash
Zuleikha Allana
Anna Nordquist Anderson
Beth Diane Armstrong
Catherine Ash
Nina Barnett
Hedwig Barry
Valerio Berruti
Atul Bhalla
Peter Bialobreski
Caroline Bittermann
Michael Blake
Sean Blem
Dineo Bopape
Willem Boshoff
Eric Bourret
Francki Burger
Carla Busuttil
Bev Butkow
Mira Calix
Mia Chaplin
Clifford Charles
Gary Charles
Richard Chauke
Rebecca Chesney
Mat Chivers
Zuleika Chaudhari
Priyanka Choudhary
Marco Cianfanelli
Driaan Claassen
Alain Clement
Hannelie Coetzee
Steven Cohen
Ruann Coleman
The Cool Couple
Christian Courreges
Anuja Dasgupta
Ingrid de Kok
Katharien de Villiers
Thomas Demand
Godfried Donkor
Antoine Donzeaud
Auke de Vries
Chris Drury
Marlene Dumas
Michel Duport
Paul du Toit
Alinka Echeveria
Alice Edy
Victor Ehikhamenor
Laura Emsley
Bracha Ettinger
Guy Ferrer
Jem Finer
Justin Fiske
Richard Forbes
Jonathan Freemantle
Gordon Froud
St John Fuller
Lorenzo Fusi
Milena Høgsberg
Patti Gaal Holmes
Georgina Gatrix
Friedrich Gauwerky
Claire Gavronsky
Pelegie Gbaguidi
Kendell Geers
Douglas Gimberg
Guinevere Glasford-Brown
Daniella Goeller
Frances Goodman
Dylan T Graham
Todd Gray
Liza Grobler
Jonathan Guitamachi
Tapfuma Gutsa
Nicholas Hester
Geoffrey Hendricks
Rodan Hart
Lyle Ashton Harris
Hector Hernandez
Karrie Hovey
Elisa L. Iannacone
Osaretin Ighile
Ashraf Jamal
Adam Jeppesen
Ayana V. Jackson
Gabriele Jacobs
Anton Karstel
Lebohang Kganye
Stefanie Koemeda
Dada Khanyisa
Riyas Komu
Gabrielle Kruger
Matthew James Lanning
Leo Lanussol
Lawrence Lemaoana
Noria Mabasa
Io Makandal
Maja Malkovich
Amorous Maswanganyi
Collen Maswanganyi
Hemmi Matsamura
Takayo Matsamura
Pat Mautloa
Yolanda Mazwana
Whitney McVeigh
Brent Meistre
Michael Mieskes
Joyti Mistery
Nandipha Mntambo
Mohau Modisakeng
Ledelle Moe
Marta Moriarty
Nadjana Mohr
Clara Montoya
Nuria Mora
Thomas Mulcaire
Moataz Nasr
Marcus Neustetter
Serge Alain Nitegeka
Lwandiso Njara
Fred Nordstrom
Phoka Nyokong
Osaretin Ighile
Olu Oguibe
Valarie Oka
Stacey Okparavero
Walter Oltmann
Sean O’Toole
Giovanni Ozzola
Jurgen Partenheimer
Michael Peltzel
Richard Penn
Leonardo Petrucci
Helen Pheby
Johannes Phokela
Enric Pladevall
Barbara Putz-Plecko
Realness Screenwriters 2016
Realness Screenwriters 2017
Hester Reeve
Elena Rocchi
Alexandra Ross
Mika Rottenburg
Pietro Ruffo
Ruth Sacks
Abdus Salaam
Francois Sarhan
Mithu Sen
Rose Shakinovsky
Oupa Sibeko
Molly Smythe
Walter Stach
Danae Stratou
Rina Stutzer
Joachim Schonfeldt
Mary Sibande
Sean Slemon
Sylvaine Soldano
David Svensson
Mikael Subotzky
Tawanda Takura
Santiago Talavero
Nicola Taylor
Angus Taylor
Johan Thom
Nakhane Touré
Adejoke Tugbiyele
Ben Tuge
Strijdom van der Merwe
Minnete Vari
Lorena Guillén Vaschetti
Wessel Van Huyssteen
Toon Verhoef
Diana Vives
Kamo Walaza
Reney Warrington
James Webb
Jessica Webster
Ulrich Wolke
Duncan Wylie
Sophia Van Wyk
Juan Zamora