Johan Stegman, Maritzburg Sonder 'n See, Linocut, 2024

Johannesburg-based artist Johan Stegman describes his practice as “using Charcoal, Etchings, and Explosions.” Drawing on the aesthetic and technical mastery of etching and charcoal—mediums steeped in the Renaissance and Romantic traditions of Western classicism—Stegman crafts intricate, almost miniature narratives that invite close and deliberate viewing.

His works often weave historical legacies with cultural fallacies, subverting the classical foundation by inserting iconography from popular culture, political figures, and South Africa’s wartime history. These interventions explore themes of erasure and paradox, offering layered commentary on the complexities of contemporary identity and the cultural inheritance of his Afrikaans upbringing.

Maritzburg Sonder ’n See exemplifies this approach, combining the crisp, graphic qualities of linocut with a nuanced interplay of tradition, memory, and irony.