Origins Centre Museum

16/06/2026

We had a wonderful morning of exploring the world of the plants and plant dyes around us with Abena Motaboli on Saturday

Participants spent the morning connecting with nature and each other while learning about earth-based colour practices as living systems of memory, and creating plant and mineral pigment dyed cloths.

Thank you to all who attended. And a huge thank you to Abena!

Abena has been on a short-term residency at Origins. We hope she’ll be back again soon. So many more avenue to explore and research.
AbenaArt Studio
With Tammy Hodgskiss Reynard

… we wish Brian could have been a part of this and shared his knowledge and energy …

Origins Centre Museum Wits University

16/06/2026

Featuring over thirty works from Accra, Johannesburg, and Nairobi - the exhibition asks questions that don’t resolve easily. About movement, belonging and what it means to live inside uncertainty.

The Atlas of Uncertainty exhibition runs until 3 July 

                   

11/06/2026

A wonderful open studio day with Abena Motaboli, as she shared what’s been unfolding in her residency at Origins 🌿
A special time to see works in progress, be a part of her process and share conversation.

AbenaArt Studio
Wits University

11/06/2026

Open Studio 🌿 With Abena Motaboli!

Thursday 11th June 10:00 - 16:00
Origins Centre

Come by to see what’s been unfolding in the residency 🌿An informal open studio, and a chance to see works in progress and spend time in conversation around the work.

Parking is available on campus at Origins Centre, please contact 011 717 4700 or message for the access code, or email [email protected]

Looking forward to sharing space with you ✨
Images by

05/06/2026

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Brian Mogaki, the beloved Head Guide and gifted storyteller at the Origins Centre museum.

Brian will be remembered for his warmth, generosity and enthusiasm. He had a rare gift for making every person feel treasured, and every story worth telling – each with a carefully picked soundtrack. For many years Brian has transformed the visitor experience into something unforgettable and personal. He welcomed each visitor as though they were family, and many have been affected by his wisdom, humour, and passion. Through a remarkable ability to bring history to life, he connected people to Africa – and to the stories, traditions, languages and memories that have shaped us. He shared the voices of those who came before us, inspired curiosity, understanding, and appreciation for our rich and complex heritage.

Brian’s legacy lives on in the many lives he touched. Though deeply missed, his voice will continue to echo through Origins Centre, and through the places and people he cherished so dearly.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Brian's family and friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing and learning from him.

We are heartbroken
Lekgabane le legolo le wele

04/06/2026

We're delighted to have Abena Motaboli here with us at Origins for a short-term residency.

Join Abena on Saturday 13 June for a hands-on, collaborative workshop

PLANTS AS MEMORY, COLOUR & EMBODIED KNOWLEDGE
- Facilitated by Abena Motaboli, with Dr Tammy Hodgskiss

Date: Saturday 13 June
Time: 09:30-13:00
Place: Wits Origins Centre 

During the workshop you will explore natural dyeing and earth-based colour practices as living systems of memory, where plants and materials from the land are approached as carriers of ecological and ancestral knowledge.

Through walking, gathering, making, and reflection, participants are invited into a slow, embodied engagement with colour as both material and story.

Participants will create with plants and ochre pigments and take home a naturally dyed cloth work.

Tickets: R350
(Includes all materials, a guided site engagement, plant-based dye processes, a naturally dyed cloth piece to take home, light refreshments).
Tickets on webtickets only.
Suitable for ages 12 and up. Limited spaces available

Abena Motaboli is a Basotho-Ghanaian artist, educator, natural dyer, and writer based in Chicago, US. She works with natural dyes, pigments, and ancestral materials informed by her Ghanaian, Togolese, Basotho, and Ndebele heritage. With a deep commitment to social and environmental justice, her work explores belonging, interconnectedness, and material histories. Abena has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago and has exhibited at Heaven Gallery Chicago, The Bhavan Gallery London, Woman Made Gallery, The Other Art Fair Chicago, SOFA Chicago, and Aqua Art Miami.


The workshop is co-facilitated by South African archaeologist, ochre researcher and the Head of the Origins Centre museum, Dr Tammy Hodgskiss. Tammy will support site engagement, walking routes, and contextual framing of landscape and materials. 

Enquiries: [email protected]

   

03/06/2026

UbuGqi beThongo: A Solo Exhibition by Mzwanele Tshishonga

16 May – 30 June 2026


UbuGqi beThongo is both a search and a rumination that started long before the formal creation of this offering. This body of work, presenting ceramic and photographic material, emerges from a sustained and intimate engagement with ancient and contemporary local artistic practices, refracted through the lens of ubuGqi.

UbuGqi is posited as a foundational philosophical framework, understood as a cosmic life force that permeates across realms and spheres, particularly in the onto-triadic conception of being. Existence is understood to encompass the interconnected spheres of the living, the living-dead (ancestors), and the not-yet-born.

Ubugqi beThongo is submitted in partial fulfilment of the artist’s Master of Arts in Fine Arts degree at the Wits School of Arts.

Mzwanele Tshishonga is a ceramist, researcher, and educator whose work bridges artistic practice, ancestral knowledge, and scholarly inquiry. His research and creative practice focus on the preservation and reimagining of African sculptural traditions, particularly through the lens of clay as a medium of healing, spiritual connection, and intergenerational knowledge transmission.

Entrance is R40/R70 (this gives full access to the museum and all temporary exhibitions).

Enquiries: [email protected]; 0117174700

Artist details: Mzwanele Tshishonga [email protected] / [email protected]; +27 61 492 5791

03/06/2026

Join us this Saturday for a FREE walkabout through the Atlas of Uncertainty exhibition with one of the curators. 

No booking required

🕚 6 June at 11:00


Visit https://www.atlasofuncertainty.com/ 

Graphic: 

                   

03/06/2026

27/05/2026