Soil & Water is a large-scale artistic research initiative situated within the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, and forms a key component of NIROX’s ongoing programme of exhibitions, residencies and public engagement. Conceived as a dynamic and evolving platform, SOIL & WATER facilitates sustained reflection on the relationship between soil and water — two fundamental material conditions that underpin life. Through its modular structure, the programme brings together exhibitions, artist residencies, public programmes including dialogues, performances and concerts, as well as community engagement and research initiatives, supported by an expanding body of published material.
Developed collaboratively by Johan Thom, Basak Senova, and the NIROX Foundation, SOIL & WATER operates through an international network of artists, institutions and partners across both public and private sectors. While rooted at NIROX, the programme extends beyond the site through ongoing collaborations, positioning it as a sustained framework for artistic production, research and exchange both locally and internationally.
PROGRAMME
Soil & Water unfolds as a multi-phase programme of residencies, exhibitions and public engagement, structured through ongoing cycles of research and production. The first residency cycle commenced in October 2024 at NIROX, bringing together local and international artists for extended periods of studio-based inquiry and site-responsive practice within the Cradle of Humankind. These residencies formed the foundation for the NIROX iteration of the project, which opened to the public on 1 November 2025 and evolved through a series of exhibitions, workshops, talks and activations across the park and the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture. This phase will conclude with a multi-day finissage programme from 18–21 April 2026, including exhibition openings, walkabouts and talks at NIROX, a concert event, and a series of seminars hosted in partnership with the University of Pretoria.
Running in parallel, the project extends internationally through Soil & Water: Mediterranean Crossing, presented at Art Rooms Kyrenia (January–February 2026), bringing together artists from the NIROX residencies alongside additional international contributors. Looking ahead, SOIL & WATER will continue to develop through further residency cycles and partnerships, including proposed programmes at BlackBrick Hotel Gardens and Nyandungu Eco-Park in Rwanda, alongside an expanding network of local and international collaborators. A publication is currently in development, with further activations, partnerships and project iterations planned beyond 2026.
EXHIBITIONS
NIROX SCULPTURE PARK
1 NOVEMBER 2025 - 18 APRIL 2026
Participating artists
Abri de Swardt (ZA), Alet Pretorius (ZA), Anastasiia Shcherban (UA), Atang Tshikare (ZA), Atul Bhalla (IN), Barbara Putz-Plecko (AT), Bronwyn Lace ft. The Centre for the Less Good Idea (ZA), Caroline Le Méhauté (FR), Christophe Fellay (CH), Coral Bijoux (ZA), Diego Masera (AR), Diane Victor (ZA), Douglas Gimberg & Diana Vives (ZA), Ebru Kurbak (TR/AT), Egle Oddo (IT/FI), Eugénie Touzé (FR), Francesco Bellina (IT), Hera Büyüktasçiyan (TR), Herrana Addisu (ET), Inma Herrera (ES/FI), Isa Rosenberger (AT), Jacob van Schalkwyk (ZA), Jessica Ostrowicz (UK), Jesper Just (DK), Johan Thom (ZA), Jonatan Habib Engquist [Author] (SE), Ledelle Moe (ZA), Lorin Sookol (ZA), Lundahl & Seitl (SE), MADEYOULOOK (ZA), Maria Lantz (SE), Marcus Neustetter (AT/ZA), Mithu Sen (IN), Olha Fedorova (LA), Oya Silbery (CY), Raúl Mirlo (MX), Paula Anta (ES), Ramesh Daha (AT), Robin Rhode (ZA/DE), Rojda Tugrul (TR), Sebastian Stumpf (DE), Seretse Moletsane (ZA), Setlamorago Mashilo (ZA), The ZoNE (AT/CH/TR/ZA), and Vibha Galhotra (IN).
SOIL & WATER: MEDITERRANEAN CROSSING
Art Rooms, Kyrenia & ARUCAD
14 January - 17 February 2026
Participating artists
Alet Pretorius, Atul Bhalla, Barbara Putz Plecko, Christophe Fellay, Diana Vives & Douglas Gimberg, Diego Masera, Ebru Kurbak, Egle Oddo, Eugenie Touze, Francesco Bellina, Hera Buyuktasciyan, Herrana Addisu, Inma Herrera, Isa Rosenberger, Jessica Ostrowicz, Johan Thom, Ledelle Moe, Lundahl & Seitl, Mithu Sen, Robin Rhode | Rojda Tugrul, Senzo Masondo, Seretse Moletsane, The Centre for the Less Good Idea, Tshepiso Mahooe, The ZoNE, The Sediment
ARTISTS
Diana Vives & Douglas Gimberg (CH/ZA)
Jeremy & Colleen Wafer (ZA)
Marja Helander (FI)
Shaken Grounds Collective (AT) [Nikolaus Gansterer, Mariella Greil, Victor Jaschke, Peter Kozek, Werner Moebius, & Lucie Strecker]
SUPERFLEX (DK)
PARTNERS
Soil & Water is made possible through the continued support and collaboration of its project partners and contributors, whose involvement enables the programme’s ongoing development across research, production and public engagement. Bringing together institutions, funding bodies and cultural organisations from both the public and private sectors, these partnerships sustain the project’s local grounding at NIROX while supporting its expansion through international collaborations, residencies and future activations.
Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Art Rooms Kyrenia
ARUCAD - Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design
Austrian Cultural Forum, Pretoria
BIENALSUR — Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo del Sur
BMKÖS — Ministry of the Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (Bundesminister für Kunst, Kultur, öffentlichen Dienst und Sport)
Danish Arts Foundation
Embassy of Austria in South Africa
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in South Africa
Embassy of Spain in South Africa
The Finnish Cultural Foundation
IASPIS – International Programme for Visual and Applied Arts
Italian Cultural Institute of Pretoria
LifeAgriScience, Applied Research Services
SKF — Support Art and Research & KKP — Art and Communication Practices, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Kunsthaus Dahlem, Berlin
L’Accolade Foundation, Paris
The Claire and Edoardo Villa Will Trust, South Africa
Prohelvetia, Swiss Arts Council
Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine
Techizart Istanbul