The acclaimed South African artist takes over BOZAR this autumn with an ambitious exhibition spanning four decades of his remarkable career.
From drawings and animation to sculpture, film, prints and large-scale installations, William Kentridge has spent more than four decades developing one of the most distinctive artistic languages of contemporary art. This autumn, the internationally acclaimed South African artist brings that extraordinary body of work to Brussels for I Am Not Me, the Horse Is Not Mine, a major solo exhibition at BOZAR running from 18 September 2026 until 7 March 2027.
Rather than presenting a conventional retrospective, the exhibition offers a broad exploration of Kentridge’s practice and the ideas that have shaped it throughout his career. His work frequently moves between different disciplines, with drawings becoming animated films, theatrical productions influencing installations and historical material being transformed into something unexpectedly contemporary. The result is an exhibition that feels less like a chronological journey and more like an encounter with an artist whose work refuses to remain within a single medium.
A CAREER BUILT ACROSS MEDIUMS
Kentridge first became internationally recognised for his animated drawings, but his artistic practice has always extended considerably further. His work encompasses theatre, opera, film, sculpture, printmaking and installation, often bringing several of these disciplines together within a single project. This interdisciplinary approach is central to understanding the exhibition, which gives particular attention to several of his major stage productions alongside works from across his career.
There is also a strong sense of movement throughout Kentridge’s work. Images are frequently erased, redrawn and transformed, allowing traces of earlier versions to remain visible. This technique has become one of his signatures, creating works that appear to record their own making while exploring themes of memory, political history, uncertainty and change.
ART, HISTORY AND MEMORY
Much of Kentridge’s work is rooted in the history and politics of South Africa, particularly the country’s experience of apartheid and its aftermath. Yet his work rarely offers simple explanations or straightforward historical narratives. Instead, he uses ambiguity, humour and visual transformation to examine how individuals and societies remember the past.
This makes the exhibition particularly compelling for contemporary audiences. Kentridge’s work asks questions about how history is constructed, what remains after political systems change and how personal memory interacts with collective experience. His approach can be intellectually demanding, but it is also highly visual and often playful, making the exhibition accessible even to visitors who may not regularly engage with contemporary art.
BEYOND THE GALLERY
One of the most interesting aspects of the BOZAR exhibition is its emphasis on Kentridge’s work for the stage. His involvement in theatre and opera has played a major role in his artistic development, and the exhibition explores the relationship between these performances and his broader visual practice.
That connection between art and performance also makes the exhibition particularly appropriate for BOZAR, where visual art, music, theatre and dance regularly intersect. The exhibition is accompanied by related events, including a Meet the Artist evening with Kentridge on 19 September, giving visitors an opportunity to engage more directly with his work and ideas.
WHY IT IS WORTH SEEING
For Brussels residents, I Am Not Me, the Horse Is Not Mine offers an opportunity to experience the work of one of contemporary art’s most influential figures without having to travel to a major international museum. The scale of the exhibition also makes it worth returning to: with the show running until March 2027, visitors can take their time exploring the different films, drawings, installations and theatrical works rather than attempting to absorb everything in a single visit.
Kentridge’s work ultimately sits somewhere between visual art, cinema, theatre and history. That refusal to fit neatly into one category is precisely what makes the exhibition so engaging. For anyone interested in contemporary culture, visual storytelling or the relationship between art and society, it promises to be one of the more significant exhibitions on Brussels’ autumn cultural calendar.
William Kentridge: I Am Not Me, the Horse Is Not Mine
18 September 2026 – 7 March 2027
BOZAR, Rue Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels
Tickets: Book tickets through BOZAR
Further Reading
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