A celebration of creativity, vulnerability, and transformation in clay
Githan Coopoo. Photo: Paige Fiddes
Opening on 15 October 2025 at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, ‘Tears Now But Heaven Tomorrow’ pays tribute to the late Githan Coopoo (1994–2025), one of South Africa’s most distinctive artistic voices. The exhibition brings together a selection of sculptures, ceramics, and adornments that reveal how Coopoo redefined the possibilities of clay as both material and metaphor.
A self-taught artist, Coopoo was celebrated for his ability to transform fragility into strength. His works combined classical references with queer and diasporic identities, creating a visual language that was both playful and profound. By merging the worlds of fine art and ornament, he expanded clay into a space for reflection, memory, and emotional resonance.
“Githan’s work encourages us to look beyond first impressions and examine notions of self and identity through a new lens,” says Caroline Greyling, Museum Director at Norval Foundation. “His exuberant use of colour and material, combined with wit and sensitivity, offers a deeply moving insight into his artistic legacy.”
Coopoo’s practice drew inspiration from mythology, ancient civilisations, and everyday life. His sculptures explore the coexistence of beauty and vulnerability, transforming delicate materials into vessels of endurance and care. His recurring motifs — bodies, vessels, and fragments — speak to the human desire for connection and meaning. Through humour and tenderness, he reimagined the relationship between art and adornment, revealing how identity can be crafted, worn, and shared.
As Lena Sulik of Everard Read notes, “Githan saw his work as a vessel or a placeholder for himself. This exhibition allows us to stand with him again, to remember, and to be here for each other — that’s what we’re there for.”
Presented in collaboration with Everard Read, with special thanks to Lena Sulik and Ruth Ramsden-Karelse, the exhibition celebrates Coopoo’s lasting impact on South African contemporary art. His work remains a testament to the power of ornament as poetry, and to the way vulnerability can become a source of strength and transformation.
‘Tears Now But Heaven Tomorrow’ runs from 15 October 2025 to February 2026 at the Norval Foundation, Tokai, Cape Town. For more information, visit www.norvalfoundation.org.
