Abbreviated bio
www.jilltrappler.co.za
Jill Trappler has worked as an artists and craft person in various projects over the past thirty years. These include, Thupelo, Greatmore Street (she is a founder member of both) and Bag Factory studios. (She was a Board member of all three). Jill served on the Board of the Ava gallery and the NAC.
Jill established the Philani weaving project and the Intle cooperative project in Site B and Philippi; the Philani clinic in Khayelitsha has a sustainable weaving project. The art studio initiative at Valkenberg grew out of workshops coordinated at the hospital. (This project started as an Outreach initiative of the AVA gallery)
She has worked as an unqualified OT at Baragwaneth (1976/77) and at Groot Schuur OT department as a part time lecturer. Jill has lectured at UCT summer school.
She exhibits regularly in group shows nationally and abroad. Her solo exhibitions are numerous and continue to be a priority in her practice.
The combinations of project work, teaching and personal practice has a significant impact. Interactive, exchanging skills and ideas with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences plus daily involvement in making art/craft push the levels of creative life style, education and product development.
1957 – 4 – 15 Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
EDUCATION
1975- 1979 Bill Ainslie, Johannesburg Art Foundation,
1975- 1978 UNISA, three years BA and FA subjects
Apprentice in various craft studios, including weaving, ceramics, dying, spinning, knitting, fabric painting/printing, embroidery, sewing, beading.
PROJECTS
Cavesham Press – 2014, March, 5th – 7th,
3 Day Residency Prince Albert Festival –
2012 & 2014 Group Exhibition @ the Residency of the Spanish Embassy –
2010 Ariel Worker’s Day Festival –
2013 Summer School – 2013 (previous years)
Philani Project Khayelitsha
2012 Contemporay South African ArtistS 2, DMEC, Devon Learning & Development Partnership
2011 Creative Blocks – 2010 on going Thupelo Workshop Project – 1
1985 on going Greatmore Street Artists Studios – 1998 on going Bag Factory Artists Studios
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
The Association for Visual Arts Gallery ( AVA Gallery), Cape Town. (1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008) 1990
Gallery International, Cape Town 1995
Prime Art Gallery, Cape Town. 2000
Tatham Gallery, Pietermaritzburg, KZN 2002
Fordsburg artist’s studio (Bag Factory Gallery,) Johannesburg 2003
Bellville Art, (Art B) Cape Town. 2006
Kwazulu, Natal Association of Arts Gallery (KZNSA), Durban 2007
Bag Factory Gallery, Johannesburg. 2007
Studio exhibition, Orange Street Studios, Gardens, Cape Town 2008
Joe Wolpe selects Jill Trappler’s work for show at the AVA, Cape Town 2008
SMAC Stellenbosch, Abstract art in South Africa, pre 1990. 2009
Irma Stern Gallery, Cape Town 2010
SMAC Stellenbosch 2010
Casa Labia gallery, Muizenberg, Cape 2012
Knysna fine arts Gallery, Knysna, Western Cape 2013
AVA, Unfolding her May 2015
Canteen Arts on main, May/June 2015
The Cape Town Art Fair, Seippel gallery (C3), February 2016
That Art Fair, Cape Town, February 2016
Gallery Mojo, Dubai, February 2016
Kim Sack Gallery Johannesburg, February 2016
AVA gallery Cape Town, February 2016
Group Shows include;
2016 Cape Town Art Fair (Seippel gallery)
2014 Seeking Eden Casa Labia, Muizenberg
2014 Equus gallery, Cavalie estate. Cape Town
2013 Imibala, Somerset West
2012 In Bloom 2 Casa labia gallery Cape Town
2011, 2012, 2013 JHB Art Fair/Seippel gallery 2011 WATERS/VASIA, Finland
2010 Thupelo, Greatmore street Cape Town 2010 WATERS/VASIA, AVA Cape Town, Durban Art …JHB Bag Factory.
2009 7th annual British International mini print exhibition
2008 Group show of non figurative work, Seippel gallery JHB
March 2008 2004, “time, memory and desire” Standard Bank gallery JHB
2004 “strangers” a group show including artists from SA, New Zealand and Canada.
2002 The mythic image, Bellville, Cape 2001 3/3 AVA
2001 Brain Storm, Cape Town
2001/2002 Spirit of the Place, with artists from Wales
1999 Workshop show, Kampala, Uganda.
1998 Group show in Switzerland
1996 Thupelo International workshop exhibition, Michaelis School of Fine art UCT
1994 Group show in Munich Switzerland 1991 Newtown gallery, JHB
1988 Johannesburg FUBU Gallery, Newtown
1991 Johannesburg Newtown Gallery
1994 Switzerland, Munich
1996 Cape Town. Michaelis School of Fine art, University of Cape Town
1998 Selected artist show at Munich Book Fair. Switzerland
1999 Uganda, Kampala.(Workshop exhibition) .
2001 Cape Town AVA Gallery. (Spirit of the place)
2001 Cape Town AVA Gallery (Brain storm)
2001 Cape Town AVA Gallery (3/3)
2002 Cape Town ART B, (the mythic image)
2002 Wales (Spirit of the place).
2004 Cape Town; SA, New Zealand and Canada. (Strangers)
2004 Johannesburg, Standard Bank Gallery, (time, memory, desire)
2007,08,09 Lessedra contemporary art projects, Bulgaria.
2008, 09 7th British international mini print exhibition.
2008 Stellenbosch; SMAC
2008 Korea, Busan Biennale
2008 Johannesburg; Seippel Gallery
2010 Cape Town, Durban Art space Gallery …JHB Bag Factory. (Vasia/waters)
2010 Stellenbosch, Spier Gallery (end conscription Campaign)
2010 Cape Town, (these four walls)
2010 Cape Town, Greatmore street Gallery
2011 Finland (waters/Vasia)
2011, 12,13 Johannesburg Art Fair/Seippel gallery
2012 Cape Town, Casa Labia Gallery
2012 Prince Albert festival. Western Cape (Vulnerable Landscape)
2013 Somerset West, Western Cape. Imibala Gallery
2013 Cape Town Art Fair (INC) 1990, 1995, 1996, 2005, 2007, 2011 Thupelo workshop exhibitions
WORK EXPERIENCE Teaching
1976, 1977 (FUBA) The Federated Union for Black artists.
Johannesburg Art Foundation Johannesburg School for Autism Johannesburg, Newtown Indian primary school.
1981 to 1984 Cape Town, Private studio and CAP
1998 Pietermaritzburg, KZN Tatham Gallery Workshop for local artists.
2000 Zurich Workshop for Peace movement.
2000 2005 Cape Town South African National gallery Annex. Part time classes.
2003, 2008 Cape Town, Orange street open studios.
2009 ongoing Art Source studio Observatory
2011 Philani employment project
2013, 2014, 2015 Thupelo coordinator
Thupelo assembly for Triangle network participants
Print workshop with Joe Leshoka at the Bag factory studio
Coordinating
1980 Co founder Thupelo Cape town workshops
1986 Thupelo International Art Workshop Project.
1995 Launch of Greatmore street Studios project
1998 Transfigurative exhibition, AVA
2007 Triangle Africa Arts Trust conference in Cape Town.
2010. 2012 Group exhibition at the Spanish Ambassadors’ Residence, Cape Town
Consulting
1991 Cape Town Exhibition coordinator. Valkenburg hospital at UCT
1997 Switzerland for Pro Helvetia; studio exchange programs
2009, 2010 Echo shelter project. Coral, crocheting project.
2009 Real stories gallery website; HIV in the SADAC region
2010 Philani employment project
Lecturing
2006 Occupational Therapy Department, Groote Schuur Hospital
2010 Drawing project. Ruth Prowse School of art. Cape Town.
2013 Part time lecturer Michaelis art school, UCT Lecturing at UCT Summer School, (2000 to 2004, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014, 2015)
Research
2006 Documentary video on GMS and Thupelo
2005, 2007 Research and interviews for book about Bill Ainslie
2007 Appointed to attend a donors meeting in Amsterdam, Arts Collaboratory
2012/2014 Publications x 3 Mike Gardiner, (Bill Ainslie) Robert Loder, (various local artists) Bag Factory; (Greatmore street.)
2012 Benetton’s; 10 x 12 @ SA
2015 Making art in Africa,, Polly savage.
Workshops
1981-84 Cape Town Community Arts Project (CAP) Facilitator
1995 Uganda, participant and facilitator
1996 Johannesburg.. Thupelo (participant)
2014 Mauritius Triangle workshop; I was not able to attend. Cavasham press, KZN; two weeks print making
2015 Triangle New York. Salem September
Studio employment
1975,76 Professional weaver for Peter Soldartis, Helen de Leeuw plus private Clients
1976,77,78 Baragwanath hospital, Soweto, (occupational therapy department)
1980 Devon UK. The Care Village; art/craft studio facilitator London; Adult Institute Islington (weaving) St Helena Island and Tristan de Cunha island
1981 Hannes Hares, weaving studio Cape Town.
1981 Philani Nutrition Clinics Crossroads and Khayelitsha.
1980 Established the Intle weaving co-operative, Crossroads. Cape Town Establishing the Wolani papier-mâché project for HIV
1987 Cape Town Flagship, printmaking Employment project,. Crossroad
1995,96 Cape Town Facilitator De Lorentz Clinic
1995 Cape Town Established art studios at Valkenburg hospital..
1998, 2008 Cape Town Philani nutrition clinic, Greatmore street studios
2014, 2015 and 2016 Resident artist at Greatmore street studios
COMMITTEES
1996- 2007 Association for Visual Arts (AVA), Cape Town. 1
996-2009 Trustee and committee/founder member: Greatmore Street Studios.
1988 on going Coordinator of the Thupelo workshops Cape Town.
2002 03 Appointed to the Board of the National arts Council
2007 ongoing Board member of Bag Factory Studios, Johannesburg
2007 Selection panel, Commonwealth foundation awards
2009 Chair of Africa region Commonwealth Foundation awards
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Making art in Africa isbn 9781848221512
South africa: 10 x 12@SA isbn 9788898764099
Abstract by Nature Oct 2005 AVA in partnership with Spier
Artthrob.co.za/01sept/listings-cape
Notions of being/moments of being isbn 9783940440
Unfolding Her copyright Jill trappler 2015
Familiar places. copyright Jill Trappler 2015
Familiar places. copyright jill Trappler 2012
William (Bill) Ainslie isbn 9780620655972
Mantis volume 26 Number 2 winter 2015
waters-Vasia-amanzi 2010-2011
Busan Biennale 2008 Expenditure
Art South Africa August 2015, Marilyn Martin
Abstract art form the isolation years; 9780620442091
Cambridge Scholars Publishing – Practices of Abstract Art
Unfolding into spring 2015/2016 ISBN 978-3-940440-22-8
Assembly 2016, Thupelo Cape Town. The Triangle net work
South Africa, the art of a nation. John Giblin and Chris Spring
The British Museum ISBN 978-0-500-29283-9
COLLECTIONS
Various private, locally and abroad; Corporate and public collections including:
- South African National Gallery (SANG)
- Vodacom,
- SABC.
- Investec.
- Nandos UK.
- University of Cape Town
- Spier Foundation
- Creative blocks
- British Museum. London
- British Museum. London, (Cosmos 2) and Yellowwoods collection
