Vivien Kohler (b. 1976) is a Johannesburg-based artist, originally from Cape Town. He holds a National Diploma in Fine Art from the Ruth Prowse School of Art and Design and is an acclaimed, award-winning artist, having received the Thami Mnyele Sculpture Merit Award, among others. His work is housed in prominent private and public collections throughout South Africa.
Kohler's work is a profound investigation into the unique liminality of the South African city and the ability of the human spirit to transcend what he terms ‘conceptual decay’. He is fascinated by how individuals and communities flourish and bloom from circumstances of enormous complexity. His practice is driven by a need to restructure the "residue" of this urban chaos, finding meaning, positivity, and history in the cracks of the city.
Through his art, Kohler explores the perpetual process of change and the striving to move from deficiency to authenticity. Using the metaphor of a chrysalis, he views his works as representations of the traces we leave behind as we change form. Each piece is a vital aspect of a shifting persona, collectively redefining the identity of people in this complex place called home.
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Vivien Kohler (b. 1976) is a Johannesburg-based artist, originally from Cape Town. He holds a National Diploma in Fine Art from the Ruth Prowse School of Art and Design and is an acclaimed, award-winning artist, having received the Thami Mnyele Sculpture Merit Award, among others. His work is housed in prominent private and public collections throughout South Africa.
Kohler's work is a profound investigation into the unique liminality of the South African city and the ability of the human spirit to transcend what he terms ‘conceptual decay’. He is fascinated by how individuals and communities flourish and bloom from circumstances of enormous complexity. His practice is driven by a need to restructure the "residue" of this urban chaos, finding meaning, positivity, and history in the cracks of the city.
Through his art, Kohler explores the perpetual process of change and the striving to move from deficiency to authenticity. Using the metaphor of a chrysalis, he views his works as representations of the traces we leave behind as we change form. Each piece is a vital aspect of a shifting persona, collectively redefining the identity of people in this complex place called home.
