Ilené Bothma

Born 1981 in Cape Town, South Africa

Lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa

Ilené Bothma is a Cape Town based artist. She received a BA in Fine Art (with distinction) in 2003 and an MA in Fine Art in 2007 from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Bothma advanced her studies in England with a second MA in Fine Art (with distinction) in 2011 from Northumbria University in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.

Ilené began exhibiting as a student. Her work has regularly featured in exhibitions locally and abroad since 2000. Bothma has had nine solo exhibitions in her career, with her work presented at both the Turbine Art Fair and Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Her most recent solo exhibition, 'The Gilded Cage', debuted at the Turbine Art Fair in Hyde Park, Johannesburg during 2023.

Ilené has been a finalist in numerous national art competitions, with nominations in Sasol New Signatures 2007, Vuleka Art Competition 2012, and Barclays L’Atelier 2016. Her work is a part of private and public collections, including the M&C Saatchi Abel Art Collection and the Art Bank of South Africa. An article written about the artist‘s practice titled: 'Stitching And Unpicking Ambivalence Toward Womanhood And Maternity In Works By Ilené Bothma', by Irene Bronner, senior lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, was published in the visual culture journal Image And Text in December 2020. This article provides an in-depth overview of various aspects of Ilené‘s art practice thus far.

Artist Website

Artist Instagram Page

Artist Facebook Page