UNTITLED

In a world increasingly obsessed with certainty and finished

products, the exhibition Untitled offers something far more

compelling: potential. Featuring four emerging Namibian artists—

Nicole Schaller, Nghihaluka “Luka” Ndivayele, Stephnie Mans, and

Pontsho Kemba—this group show embraces open-endedness, first

steps, experimentation and practice unfolding.

The name Untitled nods to the beginning of something significant—

work still taking form, stories just beginning to be shared, and artists

finding their voice in a shifting cultural landscape. The exhibition

therefore is an invitation for viewers to witness a moment of artistic

unfolding.

Textile artist Nicole Schaller, born in Otjimbingwe and now based

in Windhoek, shares a unique take on portraiture. Working primarily

with hand embroidery on leather and hessian, Schaller’s pieces

explore cultural identity, particularly that of the Damara people. Her

art is steeped in tradition, yet deeply personal. “I was initially drawn

to jewellery,” she recalls of her time at the College of the Arts, “but

I found my way to textiles.” Her self-taught embroidery techniques

began as decoration on garments and matured into a method of

storytelling. “I’m exploring the lost culture through portraiture,

restoring identity thread by thread.” Influenced by heritage sites in

the Kunene region and the living museum of the Damara, her work

straddles history and the present, using colour to convey emotion,

memory, and resilience.

Luka Ndivayele, a painter working primarily in oils, describes his

relationship with art as inevitable. “I was never really inspired—I just

never saw myself doing anything else,” he says. Luka’s early obsession

with black and white was born from both its visual clarity and a fear

of colour, until a generous teacher’s gift of watercolours helped him

unlock a more vibrant palette. Now a committed oil painter, Luka

finds inspiration in the lives of others, especially stories that often go

untold. As the grandson of a man exiled during Namibia’s struggle

for independence, Luka says, “Some people fought for something

they would never see. Their stories deserve to be told more than

mine.” His work quietly honours intergenerational sacrifice and the

unseen narratives that shaped Namibia’s freedom.

In contrast, Stephnie Mans, a part-time art student and practicing

physiotherapist, takes a deeply introspective approach. Her mixed-

media works map emotional terrain—grief, joy, longing—translating

internal states into texture, colour, and form. “Art has always felt

like a universal language to me,” she shares. “I’m fascinated by how

something invisible like an emotion can become something visible,

tangible.” Her work resists traditional definitions and thrives on

experimentation. Whether layering materials or allowing chance to

influence the outcome, Stephnie is driven by a curiosity about what

lies beneath the surface of human experience.

At just 21, Pontsho Kemba’s oil paintings speak of identity, body

politics, and the evolving realities of womanhood. Influenced by

her creative upbringing—her mother was a florist who surrounded

her with craft and colour. “Painting lets me be loose,” she explains.

“I can break the rules but still honour the academic side of art.” Her

most recent pieces reflect on pregnancy and early motherhood,

capturing the physical and emotional transformation with honesty

and vulnerability. “Namibia is still very conservative when it comes to

women’s stories,” she says, “but I’m proud to be part of a generation

of female and queer artists telling our stories our way.”

Together, these four voices are shaping what the future of Namibian

art could look like—vibrant, diverse, and rooted in local experience.

Untitled opens at The Project Room on Friday 2O June and will run

until Saturday 19 July 2O25.

Catalogue