GIDEON NEL | BIO
I'm a South African artist, designer and lecturer based in Cape Town, South Africa. I was born in 1992 in Pretoria, went to the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool and completed my Honours degree in Information Design at the University of Pretoria in 2015.
I have worked as a graphic designer for various companies, including Cavalli Wine Estate (2016 - 2017), and I've lectured in graphic design at Stellenbosch Academy of Design & Photography (2017 - 2018) and Greenside Design Center in Johannesburg (2021 - 2023). I was a designer, lecturer and youth leader at Stellenbosch Gemeente for three years (2017 - 2019), where I developed visual and interactive ways to communicate the treasures of the Biblical narrative. At Stellenbosch Gemeente I co-facilitated and taught at youth and student gatherings, while also providing art direction for printed and digital media.
In 2021, I completed my MA degree in Information Design at the University of Pretoria, under the guidance of Prof. Duncan Reyburn. My MA dissertation offers a philosophical hermeneutic of visual communication by exploring the connections between design and the metaphysics of William Desmond.
Currently, I'm a full-time artist with a studio at 196 Victoria Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. In April 2024, in collaboration with Jotam Schoeman, I opened an exhibition titled KRIPTAAL, which showcased original acrylic paintings and prints. In essence, I'm pursuing an impactful and explosive artistic career that is deeply rooted in and driven by academic research. As an artist and teacher, my work explores the intersections between art, theology, psychology and philosophy.
ALL THE THINGS THAT SHAPE, FORM AND INSPIRE ME
SOUTH AFRICA • PRETORIA • STELLENBOSCH • FOKOFPOLISIEKAR • HUNTER KENNEDY • ANTIBIOTIKA • FRITZ SE MK PICTURE POEM • BOUWER BOSCH SE GOD • DANIE MARAIS • ANTJIE KROG • INGRID JONKER • F.A. VENTER • ANGELS & AIRWAVES • TOM DELONGE • THE PURSUIT OF TONE • ALT-J • JON FOREMAN • SWITCHFOOT • twenty øne piløts • ROGER FEDERER • NIKE • LONDON • THE UNDERGROUND • VIEW FROM A BLUE MOON • BARCELONA • FUNDACIÓ JOAN MIRÓ • GAUDÍ • WOODY ALLEN • BANKSY • EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP • CHRISTOPH NIEMANN • WILLIAM DESMOND • JAMES TURRELL • BJARKE INGELS • OLAFUR ELIASSON • BON IVER • NERI OXMAN