Marlene Steyn
The Neck of the Wombs
About the SessionThe Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction forms an integral part of Strauss & Co’s ongoing partnership with one of South Africa’s leading arts festivals. Now in its fifth year, the auction reflects a shared commitment to supporting the visual arts and creating meaningful opportunities for artists and collectors. Held at Stellenbosch Town Hall and accompanied by a curated preview exhibition, the auction brings together works by both emerging and established artists. Its intention is to encourage new and seasoned collectors to engage with and invest in South African art, while expanding the market and improving access to the work of leading local artists. At its core, the auction places artistic excellence at the centre while seeking to create greater visibility and recognition for contemporary artistic practice.
LOT 26
Marlene Steyn
The Neck of the Wombs
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
signed, dated and inscribed with the title 'The Neck of the Woods' on the reverse; inscribed with the artist's name, the date and title on an Iziko South African National Gallery label adhered to the reverse
Exhibited
University of Stellenbosch Sasol Museum, Stellenbosch, Between My I’s: Tussen My Oë, 2024.
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, Motherhood: Paradox and Duality, 30 April 2025 to 23 February 2026.
Notes
Marlene Steyn completed her Master of Fine Art at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2014. Her work was featured in Vitamin C: Clay and Ceramic in Contemporary Art (Phaidon, 2017). In 2025, Steyn presented Mind Fullness, a solo booth with SMAC at The Armory Show, New York, alongside the publication of her first artist monograph by SMAC. That same year, she was included in Motherhood: Paradox and Duality, curated by Andrea Lewis at the Iziko National Gallery, Cape Town. In 2024, Steyn was named the Stellenbosch Woordfees Festival Artist, which led to her first museum exhibition, Between My I’s : Tussen My Oë, at the Stellenbosch University Museum. She also presented I Open Her, a solo booth at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair with SMAC Gallery at the CTICC. In 2023, Steyn held the solo exhibition Home Bodies at SMAC in Stellenbosch and participated in group shows including X PINK 101 at the X Museum, Beijing, and NON-PLACES at Powerlong Art Centre, Shanghai. In 2022, she took part in Body and Thrall at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, UK, and held the solo exhibition YOU-ME-VERSE at Lychee One, London. Her work is held in the collections of Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town; X Museum, Beijing; Royal College of Art, London; Lou Yi, Yis Foundation, London and Beijing and the Missoni Collection, Milan.
Biography courtesy of SMAC.
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