June 20, 2026 - July 14, 2026
492 Fehrsen Street, Pretoria, South Africa
Beneath the Surface
Curatorial Statement:
Joshua Maharaj’s practice in printmaking and drawing examines the unresolved tensions of postapartheid South Africa through the lens of the built environment.
Maharaj draws on everyday South African life to construct a satirical portrait of a nation in flux
building worlds that were meant to signal progress but have come to embody neglect, inequality,
and stalled accountability.
Etching has a conceptual and technical significance. The corrosive action of acid on a metal plate
mirrors the slow and often invisible forces eroding public trust, economic stability, and communal
hope in contemporary South Africa. The permanence of each incised line reflects the nation's
political scars.
These works question accountability and are an invitation to confront the uncomfortable realities
obscured by political rhetoric.