Oliewenhuis

01/09/2026

🌸 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠! 🌿

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒖𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒓𝒕 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒎! 🌼

With the warmer days ahead, 1 September is the perfect excuse to get outdoors and enjoy a day at the Museum with family and friends.

🌿 Take a leisurely stroll through the Sculpture Park
🥪 Pack a picnic and relax on the lawns
🚶 Explore the walking trails through the natural surroundings
🎨 Spend some time discovering the exhibitions
🎠 Let the little ones enjoy the African Carousel — just R5 per ride
☀️ Soak up the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful grounds of Oliewenhuis

And the best part? Museum entrance is FREE! ❤️

📍 Oliewenhuis Art Museum
16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein
⏰ Monday–Friday: 08:00–17:00
🅿️ Parking: R10 per vehicle, cash only

𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗻𝗶𝗰, 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀!🌸

31/08/2026

🌊 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 | 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Saturday, 29 August 2026 for the second walkabout of 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅, a solo exhibition by conceptual artist 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲.

During the walkabout, Emma shared insights into her site-responsive exhibition and the ideas of memory, identity, displacement, loss and place that underpin her work. Set within the unique underground space of the Reservoir Gallery, the exhibition explores what lies beneath the surface — both physically and metaphorically.

Visitors had the opportunity to engage with 101 Ways to Long for a Home, an extensive artist’s book installation incorporating discarded parquet flooring, as well as Willemse’s striking boat-like installations made from found and decayed makoros, handmade paper, paper pulp drawings and fabric.

𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻.

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 was on exhibition at the Reservoir Gallery from 7 July – 30 August 2026.

31/08/2026

🏛️ 𝟯𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨

Oliewenhuis Art Museum was honoured to host the opening of the 𝟯𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨, featuring the work of SAVAGE + DODD Architects, the 2026 Sophia Gray laureates.

The Sophia Gray Memorial Lecture and Exhibition, presented by the School of Architecture at the University of the Free State, has been hosted annually at Oliewenhuis Art Museum since 1989. The series honours Sophia Gray, the first active professional architect in Bloemfontein and the first woman architect in South Africa, while celebrating the contribution of architecture and architects to society.

This year’s exhibition, 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨, offers an opportunity to engage with the architectural thinking and practice of SAVAGE + DODD Architects.

📅 Exhibition: 27 August – 4 October 2026
📍 Venue: Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Main Building
🎟️ Admission: Free

We invite you to visit the exhibition and experience 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 for yourself.

31/08/2026

28/08/2026

🌊 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗 | 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅

This is your final weekend to experience 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅, a solo exhibition by conceptual artist Emma Willemse, at Oliewenhuis Art Museum.

Presented in the unique underground Reservoir Gallery — once a water storage reservoir — the exhibition brings together Emma Willemse’s acclaimed 101 Ways to Long for a Home artist’s book installation and five large-scale boat-like installations.

Through handmade books, discarded parquet flooring, decayed makoros, handmade paper, fabric and other materials, Willemse explores memory, identity, place, longing and displacement.

🌊 𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕!

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

📅 Saturday, 29 August 2026
⏰ 12:00
📍 Reservoir Gallery, Oliewenhuis Art Museum
🎟️ Entrance FREE

The exhibition closes on Sunday, 30 August 2026.

If you haven't experienced 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 yet, this is your final opportunity.

📍 Oliewenhuis Art Museum
16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein

🅿️ Parking: R10 per vehicle (cash only)
🎟️ Museum entrance: FREE

28/08/2026

🚨 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝!

This is your 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 to view 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔, Franli Meintjes' solo exhibition at Oliewenhuis Art Museum.

Experience remarkable fibre installations exploring memory, place and vulnerability before the exhibition closes this Sunday.

🗓 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠: 30 August 2026
📍 Annex Gallery, Oliewenhuis Art Museum

🎟 Entrance FREE
🚗 Parking: R10 per vehicle (cash only)

𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒕.