Hennie Meyer
Mother Tongue
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 42
Hennie Meyer
Mother Tongue
About this Item
each stamped with one of South Africa's eleven official languages
Notes
(1) height: 12cm; width: 48cm; depth: 36cm
(2) height: 9cm; width: 47,5cm; depth: 35,5cm
(3) height: 8cm; width: 48,5cm; depth: 36cm
(4) height: 18cm; width: 45,5cm; depth: 34,5cm
(5) height: 25cm; width: 43cm; depth: 32,5cm
(6) height: 35cm; width: 40cm; depth: 30cm
(7) height: 51cm; width: 40cm; depth: 27cm
(8) height: 28cm; width: 42cm; depth: 31cm
(9) height: 30cm; width: 40,5cm; depth: 32cm
(10) height: 55cm; width: 39cm; depth: 27cm
(11) height: 76,5cm; width 39cm; depth: 26,5cm
Mother Tongue is an installation of 11 ceramic vessels reflecting South Africa’s eleven official language speakers as revealed in the 2011 census. Each coil/band of the vessel represents a percentage of the number of mother tongue speakers in the country.
Hennie Meyer was born in 1965 and lives and works in Durbanville, Cape Town. He studied ceramics in Australia and South Africa. His practice is founded on the making of multiples – jugs, mugs, vases, teapots and bowls – which he frequently groups into installations, seeking a balance between form, surface and structure. Meyer received an Honourable Mention at the Third World Ceramic Biennale in Korea (2005), exhibited at Ceramic Art London from 2005 to 2010 and was selected for the Korean International Ceramic Biennale in 2009 and 2019. He was shortlisted for the Martinsons Award at the Latvia Ceramics Biennale (2021) and was an invited exhibitor at Homo Faber in Venice (2024). He curated the Corobrik National Ceramic Biennale (2018) and the inaugural South African Clay Awards (2024), and in 2026 took part in the International Academy of Ceramics congress exhibitions in Jingdezhen, China. Recent solo exhibitions include 400g at ArtFormes Gallery and Riven at Ebony Curated (both 2025). His work is held in numerous public and private collections in South Africa and abroad.
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