(b. 1965, Durban, South Africa) explores the subconscious and unconscious terrain of memory, repression and desire through colour-saturated, psychologically-laden paintings. Shifting between figuration and abstraction, Gottgens blends imagery, time and place to create ambiguous moments that are simultaneously atmospheric and visually seductive, with narratives strangely unsettling, even ominous. Gottgens was the recipient of the Ampersand Fellowship Award, resulting in a residency in New York City, USA, in 2019. She was the only South African to appear in the prestigious Thames & Hudson publication, 100 Painters of Tomorrow (2014), and was featured in South African cultural analyst and art critic Ashraf Jamal’s book In the World: Essays on Contemporary South African Art (2017). She has shown in several solo and group exhibitions in South Africa and abroad, including Licked by the waves, New Bathers in Art, Museum More, Gorssel, The Netherlands (2024); Whispering of Ghosts, Boschendal Norval Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa (2022); The Rising Sea, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (NUNC), Antwerp, Belgium (2015); In Search of Imaginary World, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (NUNC), Antwerp, Belgium (2014); Symbols of the Self, University of Cape Town (UCT) Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, South Africa. Her works are represented in collections including the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, USA; Collection Majudia, Montreal, Canada, the Leeu Collection, Franschhoek, South Africa; the Cassatt Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands; and the Homestead Collection housed at Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa. Gottgens lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa.
