William Kentridge and the work series that reshaped drawing and film
27.06.2026 - 21:35:16 | ad-hoc-news.de
William Kentridge is a leading figure of contemporary art whose hand-drawn animations and charcoal drawings have defined a singular visual language. His recurring work series weave South African history, memory and the mechanics of seeing into complex narrative structures that continue to shape his reputation internationally.
The drawing-based film cycles
Central to William Kentridge's practice are his early animation cycles, created by repeatedly erasing and redrawing charcoal images on paper and filming each state frame by frame. These series established his method of letting drawing itself record the passage of time and the instability of memory.
In his landmark series of films around the industrialist figure Soho Eckstein, Kentridge visualizes Johannesburg as a city of mining wealth, labor and displacement. Across multiple works, the character oscillates between power and vulnerability, showing how political histories are embedded in the smallest drawn gesture.
Work series and retrospective view
Another major body of work comprises Kentridge's projects that translate his drawing language into multi-channel projections, stage sets and opera collaborations. In these series, moving images, collaged documents and live performers create layered environments where history is staged and re-staged.
Over the past decades, museums and theaters have revisited these work groups through large-scale retrospectives and restagings, underscoring how Kentridge's series function almost like ongoing research projects. Each new presentation adds further drawings, films or performance elements rather than closing a cycle.
All news and background on William Kentridge
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The work core and media mix
William Kentridge works primarily with drawing, film and performance, often beginning with charcoal sketches that he animates through incremental erasure and redrawing. This analog technique produces flickering images where every mark and smudge becomes part of the visible history of the work.
Beyond the animations, he develops series of large-scale drawings, prints, sculptural objects and theater maquettes that extend motifs across media. Many of these works feed back into his stage productions and installations, creating a dense network of visual references that connect individual pieces to broader cycles.
Current state of the work
William Kentridge's studio continues to expand long-standing work groups in drawing, film and performance, with no single exhibition date standing out within the immediate 30-day window but with an ongoing focus on deepening the established cycles.
Key facts on William Kentridge
- Artist: William Kentridge
- Medium / Genre: Drawing, animation, installation and performance
- Place(s) of practice: Studio primarily based in Johannesburg
- Active since: Late 1970s as a practicing artist and filmmaker
- Key work groups: Soho Eckstein films, drawings for projection, opera and theater projects, multi-channel installations
- Current/last exhibition: Retrospective and thematic presentations have repeatedly surveyed his major work series across international museums in recent years
- Major collections: Significant holdings of William Kentridge's work are found in leading public collections worldwide, reflecting his sustained institutional presence
- Awards: William Kentridge has received multiple international honors for his contribution to contemporary art and theater
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about William Kentridge
Which work series define William Kentridge's practice?
William Kentridge is best known for his charcoal-based animation cycles, particularly the Soho Eckstein films, as well as related series of drawings, theater projects and multi-channel installations that extend the same visual language across formats.
How does William Kentridge connect drawing and film?
He animates by drawing in charcoal on paper, then erasing and redrawing between each filmed frame, allowing traces of previous images to remain visible. This process turns drawing into a temporal medium that records change and remembrance.
What role do theater and opera play in Kentridge's work?
Theater and opera projects function as major work groups in his practice. They translate his imagery into stage environments, combining projections, sets and performers and often revisiting themes first developed in the drawing and film series.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
