Remembering and Forgetting: Landscapes in Dialogue
A poignant solo exhibition by Kim Berman
The UJ Art Gallery is proud to present Remembering and Forgetting: Landscapes in Dialogue, a powerful solo exhibition by artist and activist Kim Berman, opening 7 August until 4 September 2025 as part of the University’s 20-year celebrations.
Remembering and Forgetting: Landscapes in Dialogue attempts to hold the paradoxes of landscapes damaged by purposeful destruction while containing within them the hope of empathetic humanity. Broadly organised into six overlapping themes: State of Emergency, Sunflowers in Mourning, Fire and Smoke, Mining and Damaged Landscapes, Artists Books and Fire Revisited, the exhibition explores the recurring dialogue between different landscapes, bringing new perspectives on enduring social and political issues while revealing how historical themes continue to resonate in contemporary contexts.
Central to the exhibition’s core themes is Berman’s exploration of “rusted ghosts” – reclaimed rusted etched plates that have been cut and re-used to link past with present. These works often show “foreboding traces of war and destruction over faded burnt landscapes,” yet always contain “a glimmer of light on the horizon, and somewhere in the image, a sign of life.”
Fire and smoke are pervasive in Berman’s work but took on particular significance in preparing for this exhibition. A recent home fire that burnt down her office and destroyed all its contents proved extraordinary in its nature and timing, Although there was significant damage, it was limited, but awakened memories and feelings towards the devastating destruction of the fire at Artist Proof Studio in 2003, bringing alive Berman’s deep creative connection with the power and metaphor of fire to destroy and recreate.
“Smoke evokes fire while also obscuring it,” explains Berman. “In that way it masks and reveals, it chokes and beautifies. Fire burns and destroys, it also renews the earth.”
This landmark exhibition marks Berman’s first solo show in fifteen years and arrives at a significant juncture – both UJ’s milestone anniversary and Berman’s retirement year after 31 years of tenure at the university.
“While I have sporadically created work, over this time, my energy and time have been directed to my work as an educator, researcher and activist. But it feels wonderful to be making art again. Having facilitated over 20 post graduate student exhibitions at UJ, this exhibition has been an opportunity to reflect, renew and reinvent myself as a visual artist in my retirement year.”
PUBLIC EVENTS
Print workshop (With Artist Proof and Kim Berman):
Saturday, 16 August, 10:30 for 11:00
Walkabout:
Saturday, 30 August at 10:30 for 11:00
About Kim Berman
Kim Berman is Professor in Visual Art at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the co-founder and Executive Director of Artist Proof Studio. She has lectured and exhibited widely and is an NRF rated researcher. She is committed to engaging arts for social change through her activism, teaching and artwork. She believes that the arts are a powerful medium to challenge injustice. Her role as an artist and educator embeds the active promotion of creativity, reflexivity, engagement and imagination.
This solo exhibition is the first after 15 years. Previous solo exhibitions include two at Goodman Gallery, St Niklaas Museum in Belgium, Tufts University and Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, Art on Paper, and others. Collections include the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, MOMO, JAG, WAM and other corporate and private collections.
About UJ Gallery
The UJ Art Gallery, located at the University of Johannesburg’s Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park, is a dynamic platform for showcasing art. It features a permanent collection of over 2,000 diverse artworks, with a focus on promoting artistic expression, fostering engagement with contemporary art, and nurturing the Johannesburg arts ecosystem. The gallery hosts curated exhibitions, educational programs, and public events, aiming to create a space for dialogue, reflection, and inspiration.