Eclectica Contemporary is proud to announce When I Stare at the Night Sky, the first solo exhibition by acclaimed South African visual artist Justin Dingwall at the gallery. Opening on 1 May 2025 at 18h00 at 56 Church Street, Cape Town, this evocative new body of work invites audiences to journey through the layered terrain of memory, identity, and familial legacy.
A Poetic Meditation on Memory
Dingwall’s latest series is anchored in the quiet intensity of reflection — a visual essay that questions how our lived experiences shape what we remember and how we respond to the world around us. The full title, When I Stare at the Night Sky, I Don’t See Any Stars, acts as a subtle yet powerful metaphor for memory’s elusiveness — how the stars we expect to see are sometimes hidden, distorted, or dimmed by the veils of time, trauma, and transformation.
These works are not simply about remembering — they’re about how memory is constructed, filtered, and felt.
Family and Legacy at the Heart
At the core of this series is the concept of family — not only as a source of personal history, but as a living force shaping future generations. Dingwall explores this theme through the careful placement of remembered objects and symbols within his compositions. Each image becomes a kind of time capsule — holding within it the weight of ancestral influence and the tender imprint of human connection.
In this way, When I Stare at the Night Sky becomes both deeply personal and universally resonant, asking us to consider what we carry forward and what quietly fades.
Fabric as Memory Made Tangible
A striking feature of the exhibition is Dingwall’s use of printed fabric — an artistic decision that bridges the immaterial nature of memory with the tactile world. The texture, pattern, and presence of fabric in the works function as visual anchors: storytelling tools that speak to heritage, identity, and the physicality of remembrance. These fabrics are not just adornment — they are narrative threads, weaving past into present.
Exhibition Opening Details
📅 Opening Night: 1 May 2025
🕕 Time: 18h00 – 20h00
📍 Venue: Eclectica Contemporary, 56 Church Street, Cape Town
Join us for an evening of art, conversation, and reflection as we open a portal into Justin Dingwall’s meditative world. When I Stare at the Night Sky is a poignant reminder of the complexity of memory, the beauty of familial bonds, and the enduring power of visual storytelling.