Dustin August, Soliloquy, plaster and acrylic paint, 2025

Independent and self-taught, Johannesburg-based multi-disciplinary visual artist Dustin August works across photography, graphic design, and illustration. His formal background in architecture informs the structure, precision, and spatial awareness in his creative process. Anchored in experimentation, his practice frequently returns to themes of deconstruction, layering, and transparency.

August’s work is a stylised portrait of the queer body—fluid, evolving, and deeply personal—driven by a desire to capture and celebrate the full spectrum of the queer experience. His compositions invite visibility, self-assertion, and a deeper engagement with identity.

In 2022, August created his first public mural with HALLS at The Playground in Braamfontein, featured on the cover of BIZART magazine (Issue 03, Spring 2022). He has since completed murals at Blackbrick Hotel in Sandton and Math Restaurant in Waterfall, exhibited at Open Studios at August House (2023) and Turbine Art Fair (2024), and is currently part of the RMB Talent Unlocked 2024 programme.

Soliloquy embodies his tactile, process-led approach—melding plaster and acrylic into a layered narrative that speaks to introspection, resilience, and the quiet power of self-expression.