Stories Unfold
Paintings by Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi (SA) & Ethnographic Objects from New Guinea
Asmat prouwit
Galerie Lemaire is pleased to present the exhibition Stories Unfold, featuring works by South African artist Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi (Cape Town, 1977) alongside ethnographic objects from New Guinea. This dialogue between contemporary painting and traditional artifacts invites reflection on the power of image and narrative, and how these can be expressed across cultures through diverse techniques and materials.
Ngqinambi is a self-taught artist whose figurative paintings are layered with meaning. His narratives are ambiguous, while his style is layered. He draws inspiration from music, film, dance, and theatre.
Devine
The works on view at Galerie Lemaire include titles such as The Watchers, A Film Not Made Yet, and Unfinished Stories. They portray figures in motion, captured in cinematic moments between past and future. Themes of time, transition, and dreamlike states are central in his work.
By contrast, the ethnographic objects from New Guinea—statues, masks, and ritual artefacts—do not immediately reveal their stories to the uninformed viewer. Their meanings unfold only for those familiar with their cultural context. Yet, they share a common potential with Ngqinambi’s paintings: opening a window onto another world, another way of seeing.
Library of immortality
Stories Unfold demonstrates how imagery—whether in paintings or ritual objects—can convey narratives that are at times recognizable, at times mysterious, but always meaningful.
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception: December 13, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Dates: 13 December 2025 – 31 January 2026
Venue: Galerie Lemaire
Reguliersgracht 80
1017 LV Amsterdam
www.gallery-lemaire.com
Opening Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
This exhibition has been organized in collaboration with SBK Amsterdam and Fons Geerlings (Galerie 23).