Cecelia Wilmont Ballam

Cecilia Wilmot Ballam, born in England in 1976 to South African artists parents, return to South Africa in the late 190s. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Natal in 1998. Since 2004, Ballam has been based in Johannesburg, where she also runs Space Alchemy, an art and sculpture studio. Through this studio, she has expanded the scale of her commissions and honed her technical expertise in sculpture. Working alongside talented junior sculptors, she has found the collaborative process both rewarding and instrumental in maintaining the high quality of her commissioned work.

Ballam primarily works in clay sculpting and bronze casting, focusing on sculptural portraiture. Her work balances accurate physical representation with a deeper exploration of the subject's essence or soul. She immerses herself in the historical and personal context of her subjects, as exemplified by her process of listening to Giuseppe Verdi's music whilst sculpting his bust. Ballam considers her portrait of Nelson Mandela to be her most meaningful work, capturing his wisdom, kindness, and love, alongside his strong will.