Three decades of visual storytelling – A retrospective exhibition on display by Sophie Peters

The William Humphreys Art Gallery in Kimberley is set to host a major retrospective exhibition celebrating the life and work of Johannesburg-born artist Sophie Peters.

"Running with the Wolves Whilst Playing with the Eagles" will feature over three decades of Peters' visual storytelling, showcasing her journey from the streets of Johannesburg's inner city to her recognition as one of South Africa's most resilient and spiritually grounded visual artists.

The exhibition, curated by Chepape Makgato, Chief Curator of the William Humphreys Art Gallery, will explore Peters' unique blend of vulnerability and defiance, echoing the exhibition's title through the poetic dance between survival and tenderness. Peters' art spans painting, printmaking, ceramics, mural, and sculpture, capturing the everyday and the eternal through images of women in conversation, children at play, and township life.

As Peters once said, "When things go wrong and nobody wants to talk about it ... I make some art and I let it go through the press and there I tell my story." This declaration defines her as both witness and storyteller, an artist who turns silence into statement and survival into poetry.

The exhibition will feature a blend of archival materials, key artworks, and personal reflections, mapping the emotional and political terrain of an artist who transformed exclusion into expression, and adversity into artistry. Visitors will gain insight into Peters' early days as a self-taught artist, carving tomato trays into makeshift linocut plates and transforming scarcity into innovation.

The William Humphreys Art Gallery has deepened its commitment to curatorial justice by reasserting the value of artists who shaped South African art history from the periphery. Each year, WHAG dedicates its third quarter to celebrating an established yet under-recognised artist. In 2025, this honour fittingly belongs to Sophie Peters.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a public programme, including a paintings masterclass with Sophie Peters and a guided walkabout through the exhibition.

Exhibition Details

Dates: 27 - 28 November 2025

Venue: William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley

Public programme:

Paintings Masterclass with Sophie Peters: Friday, 28 November 2025, 9.30am-1pm, R350 per person (limited to 15 participants)

Artist's walkabout: Saturday, 29 November 2025, 11am

RSVP: Zaakirah at zaakirah@whag.co.za and 053 831 1724

"Running with the Wolves Whilst Playing with the Eagles" marks Peters' first museum retrospective and her first solo exhibition in more than two decades.