Unearth the ancient wisdom of birds with Sonja Swanepoel’s captivating AVIAN series, now showing at the idyllic Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.
“How can iconographic sculpture as an ancient artform trigger a collective recollection that reconnects us to our place on the planet?” is the sentiment that underpins the sculptor and environmental architect’s perspective in every sense.
For this exhibition, Swanepoel examines the symbiotic nature of birds and humanity, inviting audiences to a mindful recalibration of the order of the earth.
“The initial inspiration came when a friend sent me a picture of pigeons on a busy road in downtown Johannesburg. I was intrigued by their beautiful forms as they fell from the sky,” says Swanepoel. And as birds migrate from place to place so did Swanepoel’s vision for her rendering of this idea: traversing the inner-city tumult to more tranquil scenery. “Kirstenbosch is one of the spaces I consider to be sacred. So, when Werner Voigt, the Garden Director of Kirstenbosch, invited me to exhibit, I couldn’t have dreamt of a better partnership,” she adds.
Birds have been essential custodians of the human cultures of the world as we know it in their roles as messengers, timekeepers, deities, muses and more, since the beginning of time. With these sculptures, Swanepoel persuades us to pause and ponder on how contemporary ways betray this synergy. The artist makes use of smooth, shell-like textures, a broken wing and the imagery of a bird gazing at its own reflection on the works titled Avis fracti and Avis culpat, particularly, to underscore the urgency of this fractured ecology where extinction prevails; challenging the viewer to investigate their complicity through introspection.
“The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden already plays host to a wide variety of birds, regular birders counted 40 different species on one morning. Sonja Swanepoel’s AVIAN collection of sculptures fits beautifully in this environment where birds thrive,” says Sarah Struys, the Events and Tourism Manager at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
Explore the complexity of Swanepoel’s conversation with nature as you stroll through one of the most iconic botanic gardens of the world. Also look out for her other exceptional works including Avis stratera, which was last seen at Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg) and later selected as part of Jaguar’s Crown Collection in 2023. Another interesting piece is Avis fragilis which has recently found its new home at the South African Consulate in New York’s permanent collection.
Issued by Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in collaboration with Twenty8Zero7 Communications.
Media enquiries: Funie Rabambi funie@twenty8zero7.com and/or 071 252 0027
Submitted on behalf of
- Company: SANBI (Kirstenbosch)
- Contact #: 0790567551
- Website
Press Release Submitted By
- Agency/PR Company: Twenty8Zero7 Communications
- Contact person: Sasha Maripane
- Contact #: 0790567551
- Website
e’re a women led, BBBEE level one brand communications agency, based in Johannesburg South Africa, that’s been in business since 2015. But our team’s individual experience in public relations, content creation, branding, design and events management goes back even further. That makes us pros in helping brands big and small become relevant and important to their audiences.
Latest from
- SANBI Launches Passport to Nature - Your Year of Discovery with 25% Off Membership for Tourism Month
- Bring in 2026 with Mango Groove and Alexander Broussard’s Billy Joel Experience at Kirstenbosch!
- World Conservation Day 2025 Celebrating South Africa’s exemplary efforts in preserving its extraordinary biodiversity
- SANBI secures major climate adaptation funding to protect South Africa’s most vulnerable communities
- Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts Unveils New Deck And Refurbished Pedestrian Bridge At Lowveld Botanical Garden
- Engineering Council of South Africa Forges a Strategic Partnership with the City of Tshwane to Enhance Municipal Engineering Services
- National Zoological Garden announces the birth of a baby giraffe on World Giraffe Day
- MISTRA Refreshes Its Governance to Deepen Public Impact and Intellectual Leadership
- Capture the beauty of nature with SANBI this Nature Photography Day
- South Africa leads regional effort to strengthen biodiversity action plans
- On the brink, but not without hope - SANBI’s ongoing conservation efforts to save South Africa’s endangered plants and animals
- Pretoria National Botanical Garden Awarded Level 4 Accreditation by Arbnet Accreditation Program
- Watershed Celebrates 25 Years with a Special Performance at Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
- Celebrate National Gardens Week with free access to South Africa’s National botanical and zoological gardens
- Mandisi Dyantyis to Deliver a Soul-Stirring Performance at Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
The Pulse Latest Articles
- Designing The Future Of Water: Hansgrohe And Axor Are Making Every Drop Count (September 16, 2025)
- Classic South African Desserts Reimagined For Modern Refreshment And Shared Tables (September 16, 2025)
- Beyond The Paycheque: A Practical Guide To Executive Compensation In Sa (September 16, 2025)
- Booty, Buff & Glow – Gloot’s Juiciest Drop Just Landed! (September 12, 2025)
- History In Motion: Springbok Women Embrace World Cup Quarterfinal Challenge (September 11, 2025)