Keonah Nyembe

Keonah Nyembe is a visual artist and researcher whose practice reimagines the relationship between humans and nature through a post-humanist lens. Her work explores the intersections of ecology, memory and the environment, creating speculative landscapes that challenge Western botanical classifications and conventional perceptions of reality.

Working across handmade paper, printmaking and installation, Nyembe combines traditional techniques with contemporary, environmentally conscious approaches. Treating materials as active collaborators, she creates tactile, immersive works that invite viewers to reconsider the interconnectedness of human and non-human worlds.

Nyembe studied Visual Art at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg before graduating from the University of Johannesburg, where she is currently completing a Master’s degree in Visual Arts. 

In 2026, she presented her first solo exhibition, Emergent Ecologies, at Worldart Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa. She was a finalist for the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize (2025), exhibited at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and was First Runner-up in the Ellis House Art Competition and Residency. Her work has also featured in a number of group exhibitions, including The Kids These Days Vol.3 (2025) and Metamorphose at Wits University (2024).

Keonah is a recipient of The Bridge Visual Arts Residency for 2026.