Biography
Neo Matloga was born in 1993 in Mamaila, Limpopo, South Africa, and is currently based between Mamaila and Amsterdam. He studied Visual Art at the University of Johannesburg, and completed a residency at De Ateliers with a focus on painting. Matloga won the 2021 ABN AMRO Art award and the 2018 Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst.
Déjà Vu, his second solo exhibition with the gallery takes place in Cape Town in 2022. Other solo exhibitions include along came my eyes, Hermitage Amsterdam (2022), my hero is always next to me, Stroom Den Haag, the Hague (2021); We just want to be closer, Marta Herford Museum for Art, Germany (2021); Neo Matloga, S.M.A.K, Ghent (2021); Neo to Love, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden (2019) and Good Morning Midnight, De Ateliers, Amsterdam (2018). Back of the Moon, his first solo exhibition with the gallery, premiered online and took place at Stevenson Johannesburg (2020).
Group exhibitions include the two-person show We just want to be closer, Marta Herford Museum for Art and Galerie der Stadt Backnang, Germany (2021); HI-STORYTELLING, Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany (2021); ofte vojagantoj, Wilford X, Belgium (2019); Still Here Tomorrow To High Five You Yesterday, Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town (2019); Winter Sun, Stevenson, Amsterdam (2019); De Volkskrant Beeldende Kunst Prijs, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam (2019); BIG AND PLENTY, Foundation AVL Mundo, Rotterdam (2019); About Face, Stevenson, Cape Town (2018); Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst, Koninklijk Paleis, Amsterdam (2018); Tell Freedom, 15 South African artists, Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort (2018); LET’S SEE, WHERE WERE WE, IN THE PIT OF DESPAIR, De Ateliers, Amsterdam (2017); Post Its, South African Constitutional Court, Johannesburg (2016);Time Line, The Bag Factory, Johannesburg (2015); South African and Chinese exchange, Workers Museum, Johannesburg (2015) and South African New Voices, Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington DC.
He has taken up residencies at Foundation AVL Mundo, Rotterdam (2019); Thami Mnyele Foundation, Amsterdam (2018); Zeitz MOCAA, Segera, Laikipia, Kenya (2018) and The Bag Factory, Johannesburg (2015).
Matloga was nominated for De Volkskrant Beeldende Kunstprijs in 2019, and was among the artists shortlisted for the 2015 Taxi Art Award.
CV
Education & Residencies
- 2019 AVL Mundo – Rotterdam, NL
- 2016-2018 De Ateliers – Amsterdam, NL
Guest Resident at Thami Mnyele Foundation – Amsterdam, NL
Zeitz MOCAA, ZA Artist in Residence at Segera – Laikipia, KE
2015 Bag Factory – OR Tambo visiting artist programme, ZA
Nominations & Awards
- 2019 Nominated. Volkskrant Beeldende Kunstprijs
- 2018 Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst (Royal Award for Modern Painting)
- 2015 Shortlisted. SA Taxi Art Award
- 2014 NEWNOWNEXT Award – Galerie NOKO SOLO
SOLO EXHIBITIONS - 2019 Neo to love – Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
- 2018 Good Morning Midnight curated by Tom Morton – De Ateliers, Amsterdam, NL
- 2017 Molatelo – Christopher Moller Gallery, SCOPE Art Fair, New York, USA
- 2016 Moo re tswang gona – Christopher Moller Gallery, FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, ZA
Solo Exhibitions
- 2019 Neo to love – Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
- 2018 Good Morning Midnight curated by Tom Morton – De Ateliers, Amsterdam, NL
- 2017 Molatelo – Christopher Moller Gallery, SCOPE Art Fair, New York, USA
- 2016 Moo re tswang gona – Christopher Moller Gallery, FNB Joburg Art Fair, Johannesburg, ZA
Group Exhibitions
- 2019 Still Here Tomorrow To High Five You Yesterday – Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, ZA
Winter Sun – Stevenson Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
de Volkskrant Beeldende Kunst Prijs – Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, NL
BIG AND PLENTY – AVL Mundo, Rotterdam, NL - 2018 ABOUT FACE – Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, ZA
Royal Award for Modern Painting – Koninklijk Paleis, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Intersection – Tyburn Gallery, London, UK
Tell Freedom, 15 South African artists’ – Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, NL - 2017 “LET’S SEE, WHERE WERE WE, IN THE PIT OF DESPAIR” – De Ateliers, Amsterdam, NL
- 2016 Post Its – Constitutional Court, Johannesburg, ZA
South African voices – Gallery van Dorst, Wassenaar, NL - 2015 NEW VOICES IV – Lizamore and Associates Gallery, JHB Time Line – Bag Factory, Johannesburg, ZA
SA Taxi Art Award – Lizamore and Associates Gallery, JHB South African and Chinese exchange – Workers Museum, Johannesburg, ZA - 2014 NEWNOWNEXT – Galerie NOKO, Port Elizabeth, ZA
Graduate show – FADA student exhibition, Johannesburg, ZA
South African New Voices – Washington Printmakers Gallery, Washington D.C., USA
Collections
City of Ekurhuleni, South Africa.
South African Embassy, Washington DC, USA.
Zeitz MOCAA – Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
Thami Mnyele Foundation
KRC Collection Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, NL
