A new artistic initiative at NIROX Sculpture Park in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind explores the vital roles of soil and water through works by over 40 local and international artists. Amid ecological threats like sewage outflows and mining pollution, the project addresses climate anxieties and human responsibility. Running from November 2025 to April 2026, it includes residencies, public programs, and community engagement.
The Soil & Water project, hosted at NIROX Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind—a UNESCO World Heritage Site rich in archaeological evidence of human origins—tackles the degradation of natural resources. Over years, the area has faced sewage outflows and acid mine drainage into rivers, with toxic chemicals from coal and metal mining endangering land, humans, and wildlife. This crisis inspires creativity that examines the physical and metaphorical values of soil and water amid the broader climate emergency.
Curated collaboratively by Professor Johan Thom from the University of Pretoria's Department of Visual Art, Professor Basak Senova from the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and the NIROX Foundation, the project features more than 40 artists worldwide. South African contributors include Alet Pretorius, whose photographs depict water scarcity, such as residents in Mandela Village, Hammanskraal, collecting from a communal tanker. Multidisciplinary artist Seretse Moletsane uses soil and cow dung to create meditative landscapes reflecting ancestral heritage and spirituality, with his name meaning 'mud' underscoring the theme.
International works add diverse perspectives. Christophe Fellay's sound sculpture 'Listen to Me' enlarges a vinyl record groove etched into the earth. Caroline Le Méhauté portraits soils from three Cradle locations. Spanish artist Paula Anta's 'Plasticised Trees' wraps barren trees in colored plastic, referencing waste and corporate branding while hinting at restoration potential. Argentinian Diego Masero's 'Home' installation—a corrugated iron shack suspended over a lake—mirrors South Africa's housing crisis, contrasting vulnerability with references to Japan's Golden Pavilion for themes of resilience and inequity.
Beyond exhibitions, Soil & Water includes artist residencies and public programs like dialogues and performances. The three-year Waterstories initiative engages University of Pretoria students in cross-disciplinary workshops at the Kromdraai Impact Hub, artistically realizing water's essential and symbolic roles. Through these efforts, the project makes visible obscured environmental hazards, urging witness and justice for polluted resources.