Johannesburg’s art world is alive this spring, with the city’s galleries and museums unveiling a fresh slate of provocative exhibitions. From the heart of Braamfontein to the green edges of the city, local and international artists are using paint, sculpture, and technology to challenge, provoke, and celebrate the city’s creative pulse.

At the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation, Structures explores the ways that race, migration, and memory shape both buildings and lives, spotlighting the acclaimed South African Pavilion from the 2024 Venice Biennale. At Stevenson Gallery, Neo Matloga’s Tomorrow is Another Day marks his first solo show in the city in over a decade, featuring collage-paintings animated by expressive gestures and echoes of political history. The Goethe-Institut sets the stage for conversation with Womens Rights – A Tapestry of Perspectives, part of the African Feminisms Gathering.

Wits Art Museum invites visitors into Serge Alain Nitegeka’s maze-like installation Black Subjects, while the newly opened Roger Ballen Centre for Photography launches PSYCHOPOMP!, a surreal dive into AI-generated images and Jungian archetypes. In Maboneng, Olivia Pintér’s Notes in Flight captures the city’s light and movement, while Guns & Rain presents UNRESOLVED – Memory, Protest and Waiting, probing the lingering legacies of colonialism.

NIROX Sculpture Park, Gallery MOMO, and Standard Bank Art Lab offer additional must-sees, with everything from large-scale sculpture tributes to collaborative tapestry celebrating African heritage. With free pop-ups and ticketed showcases, the city’s art scene proves both accessible and dynamic this month.