Kendell Geers South Africa, b. 1968

Describing himself as an 'AniMystikAKtivist', Kendell Geers takes a syncretic approach to art that weaves together diverse Afro-European traditions, including animism, alchemy, mysticism, ritual and a socio-political activism, and it is laced with black humor, irony and cultural contradiction. Spiritually charged, politically poignant and socially engaged, the work of Kendell Geers cannot be categorized as either European or African, but is rather a prolonged metaphysical dialogue between cultures, archetypal signs and sacred symbols.

Kendell Geers appeared on the international art scene at the end of the 1980s and since then his work has been presented at biennials and institutions from around the world. He was one of the artists who represented South Africa at the Venice Biennial in 1993, the first multiracial and multicultural international exhibition to mark the end of the Apartheid era. He presented his work in both Okwui Enwzeor's Documenta 11 as well as the most recent Documenta 14. He has presented work on the Taipei, Havana, Venice, Johannesburg, Kwang Ju, Sao Paolo, Shanghai, Istanbul and many other Biennials around the world.