Draft:Luan Nel

Luan Nel born 10th of March 1971 is a South African artist, curator and writer who lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa, His father was Johannes George Nel and his mother is Marlene Loggenberg (Maiden name) She is currently Marlene Eastes, he has two siblings Johannes Jurgens (Hein) Nel, his brother and Natasha Nel, now Janse van Rensburg, my sister.

Biography
Luan Nel is a South African artist, curator and writer who lives and works in Cape Town. .

He matriculated from Die Kruin School of the Arts in 1989 with distinction.

In 1993 Luan Nel won the SASOL New Signatures competition.

Luan Nel received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1993. In 1994 he completed his Higher Diploma in Education (Post-Graduate) also from the same university in Johannesburg, South Africa. He started his own practice during this time with his first solo exhibition held in 1994 at the Johannesburg Planetarium.

Luan Nel participated in the residency program at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam in 1998 and 1999 under the guidance of advisors Luc Tuymans, Dan Graham and Matt Mullican, amongst others. He participated in a research residency at the Dutch Institute in Rome in 1999. In 2001 he participated in the inaugural outdoor sculpture and installation exhibition Lustwarande: Pleasure Garden, in Tilburg, The Netherlands, curated by Marianne Bruwer and Chris Driessen. Artists included Louise Bourgeois and Michelangelo Pistoletto. More recently in 2019/2020 he participated in the Spier Light Art Exhibition in Stellenbosch, South Africa curated by Jay Pather and Vaughn Sadie. He has been selected as festival artist for Inniebos Arts festival 2024. His work is represented in such collections as KPMG, The WITS Art Museum (WAM) the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Spier, Smithsonian, SANLAM, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Hollard and the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

In November 2020 Luan Nel along with his partner and spouse Neil Pendock started NEL, his artist-owned and directed art gallery in Cape Town. This new gallery is fast creating a name for itself as a space where new ideas are launched, it has been well received with many artists represented including Joachim Schönfeldt, Hentie Van Der Merwe, Luxolo Witvoet and works shown by leading artists like Wandie Mesatywa, Turiya Magadlela and many more.

Nel also wrote for the daily Die Burger and the magazine The Lake as well as various online publications.

For the past three years, Luan Nel in collaboration with an editor, Brenton Maart (who curated the South African Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale) worked on and published a book on the artist’s practice of 30 years. ISBN: 978-0-620-93435-0

He is currently working towards a solo exhibition at IS Gallery in Stellenbosch, and his exhibition for the Inniebos festival at the end of June.

Career
He matriculated from Die Kruin School of the Arts in 1989 with distinction.

In 1993 Luan Nel won the SASOL New Signatures competition.

Luan Nel received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1993. In 1994 he completed his Higher Diploma in Education (Post-Graduate) also from the same university in Johannesburg, South Africa. He started his own practice during this time with his first solo exhibition held in 1994 at the Johannesburg Planetarium.

Luan Nel participated in the residency program at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam in 1998 and 1999 under the guidance of advisors Luc Tuymans, Dan Graham and Matt Mullican, amongst others. He participated in a research residency at the Dutch Institute in Rome in 1999. In 2001 he participated in the inaugural outdoor sculpture and installation exhibition Lustwarande: Pleasure Garden, in Tilburg, The Netherlands, curated by Marianne Bruwer and Chris Driessen. Artists included Louise Bourgeois and Michelangelo Pistoletto. More recently in 2019/2020 he participated in the Spier Light Art Exhibition in Stellenbosch, South Africa curated by Jay Pather and Vaughn Sadie. He has been selected as festival artist for Inniebos Arts festival 2024. His work is represented in such collections as KPMG, The WITS Art Museum (WAM) the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Spier, Smithsonian, SANLAM, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Hollard and the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

In November 2020 Luan Nel along with his partner and spouse Neil Pendock started NEL, his artist-owned and directed art gallery in Cape Town. This new gallery is fast creating a name for itself as a space where new ideas are launched, it has been well received with many artists represented including Joachim Schönfeldt, Hentie Van Der Merwe, Luxolo Witvoet and works shown by leading artists like Wandie Mesatywa, Turiya Magadlela and many more.

Nel also wrote for the daily Die Burger and the magazine The Lake as well as various online publications.

For the past three years, Luan Nel in collaboration with an editor, Brenton Maart (who curated the South African Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale) worked on and published a book on the artist’s practice of 30 years. ISBN: 978-0-620-93435-0

He is currently working towards a solo exhibition at IS Gallery in Stellenbosch, and his exhibition for the Inniebos festival at the end of June.

Works

 * Famous work here
 * Another famous work here
 * Another famous work here