Learn about new Hill Art Foundation exhibitions, events, publications, and much more!
September 16, 2025 - December 20, 2025
Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
Installation view: Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting. Hill Art Foundation, September 16–December 20, 2025. © Hill Art Foundation. Photo: Dan Bradica Studio.
The Hill Art Foundation is excited to announce Igshaan Adams: I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting, opening September 16, 2025, with accompanying text by Siddhartha Mitter and booklet designed by Pacific. This solo exhibition brings together work from over 15 years of Adams’ oeuvre, illustrating his prolonged commitment to serving and engaging his community as a form of artistic and spiritual expression. The exhibition will be on display through December 20, 2025.
Throughout I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting, Adams’ journey of spiritual discovery is on view, prompted by continuous individual reflection and community engagement. For the first time in a public exhibition, the rose is a central and recurring motif, marking over a decade of exploration. For Adams, the rose represents inherent contradictions: beauty and pain, ephemerality and rootedness, depth and surface. He traces the symbolism back to his mentor and Sufi master, Ma Rukea, who guided a young Adams as he grappled with his religious and personal upbringing. Ma Rukea referenced the rose as a metaphoric veil—its physical beauty acts as a façade for a hidden grace that remains unseen. The true essence of the rose is waiting to be uncovered, experienced, and known—lessons that have informed Adams’ spiritual and artistic development as he seeks to, in his words, “serve God through people.” Within the exhibition, heavily embellished floor- and wall-mounted rose tapestries are accompanied by intimate preparatory drawings, which transport the viewer into a mode of study, observation, and reflection.
Igshaan Adams, Al-Hayy, 2023. Cotton twine, polypropylene rope, cotton braid, glass, wood, plastic, bone, shell and semi precious beads, memory wire, polyester fabric strips and mohair, 80 × 57 inches (203.2 × 177.8 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Jason Wyche
I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting explores the sacred relationship between the collective and the self. Adams employs a team of over fifteen local weavers, embroiderers, and technicians, including family members, to collaborate in the creation of his intricate weavings and sculptural works. Growing up in a Muslim-Christian household in the segregated suburb of Bonteheuwel in apartheid-era South Africa, Adams is attuned to the divisions between local communities and the resilience of marginalized groups. Works such as Onder Die Voorkamer Lig (beneath the living room lights) (2022) and Hoek Onder Die Trappe (corner beneath the staircase) (2022) interrogate this history and celebrate Adams’ community in their moments of quiet contemplation. Both works consider what worn areas in linoleum flooring, a material associated with working-class homes, can reveal about the rhythms of domestic life in the face of hardship. Each work is based on a specific patch of ground from a friend or neighbor’s home, tracking the daily movements of families and the stored memories embedded in the material—acts that reflect a personal spiritual practice within their ordinary routine. As a form of communal exchange, Adams and the residents excavate the flooring, while the artist provides new linoleum as a replacement. The resulting tapestry elevates the memory of the recycled floor, suffusing the mundane with profound beauty, and offering an intimate glimpse into sacred, personal spaces.
Igshaan Adams, Onder Die Voorkamer Lig (beneath the living room lights), 2022. Wooden, plastic, stone, bone, glass and metal beads, mixed braid and polyester rope, metal link chain, wire and cotton twine, 93 ¾ × 113 inches (238 × 287 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Kyle Morland
Igshaan Adams, Hoek Onder Die Trappe (corner beneath the staircase), 2022. Wooden, acrylic painted beads, plastic, glass, stone, bone and shell beads, polyester and nylon rope, mix braided rope, 93 ¾ × 118 ⅛ inches (238 × 300 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Kyle Morland
Mapping the imprint of bodies in ritual plays a similarly key role in Adams’ Salat Aljamaeat Min Bonteheuwel works. As part of another longstanding artistic practice, Adams collects prayer rugs that have been used for decades within his community, and translates the markings of individual movement into weavings. Adams has compared the act of weaving to praying as he outlines the flow of daily life. This further resonates in works as early as his 2013 installation, 69, which features two Islamic prayer rugs and a hanging string curtain. Through these various iterations of prayer rugs, the artist brings forth a deeply personal ritual to the shared space of the Foundation, tracing the connection between the spiritual and the embodied through the act of prayer.
In organizing I’ve been here all along, I’ve been waiting, Adams has taken full advantage of the Foundation’s double-height space and interstitial areas. The exhibition incorporates over 20 works, ranging from hanging tapestries, to free-standing sculpture, to ephemeral masses that evoke clouds of dust suspended from the ceiling. These dynamic flurries of wire, beads, and found objects punctuate the vertical space of the Hill Art Foundation, creating a landscape populated with irregular forms that both obscure and bear witness to the community shaped by the artist and the viewer.
Igshaan Adams, Al-Hayy (detail), 2023. Cotton twine, polypropylene rope, cotton braid, glass, wood, plastic, bone, shell and semi precious beads, memory wire, polyester fabric strips and mohair, 80 × 57 inches (203.2 × 177.8 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Jason Wyche
Igshaan Adams, Mossies Bou Neste In Die Kinders Se Maë (sparrows build nests in children’s bellies), 2022. Wooden, plastic, glass, metal beads, nickel plated charms, seashells, copper, gold and memory wire, spring wire, gold link chain, 23 × 30 × 25 ½ inches (58.4 × 76.2 × 64.8 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Jason Wyche
Igshaan Adams, Study of a small white rose, 2024. Color pencil on Fabriano paper, 11 ¼ × 16 ½ inches (28.6 × 41.9 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Jason Wyche
Igshaan Adams, I am with you (detail), 2025. Cotton twine, jute braided polyester rope, silk and cotton fabric, mohair wool, glass, plastic, metal and semi-precious stone beads and tiger tail wire, 124 ⅜ × 145 ⅝ inches (316 × 370 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Mario Todeschini
Video: Oresti Tsonopoulos
Igshaan Adams, 69, 2013. String curtain, steel ring, prayer carpets, dowel rod, 93 ¾ × 53 ⅛ × 54 ⅜ inches (238 × 135 × 138 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Mario Todeschini.
Igshaan Adams, La, 2013. Steel ring, string curtain, acrylic glue, 66 ⅛ × 23 ¼ × 13 ¾ inches (168 × 59 × 35 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and blank projects, Cape Town. Photo: Mario Todeschini
Igshaan Adams' studio team at work.
Igshaan Adams' studio team at work.
Igshaan Adams' studio team at work.
Igshaan Adams, The certainty of being a rose (i), 2025. Cotton twine, polypropylene, nylon and cotton ropes, poly cotton and viscose fabric, wood, plastic, glass, semi precious stone beads, 93 ¾ × 52 ¾ inches (238 × 134 cm). © Igshaan Adams. Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photo: Mario Todeschini
Igshaan Adams
69, 2013
String curtain, steel ring, prayer carpets, dowel rod
98 ⅞ × 52 ¼ × 56 inches
(251.1 × 132.7 × 142.2 cm)
Igshaan Adams
351 Bonteheuwel Avenue (ii), 2020
Painted wood; wood, plastic, glass and stone beads; nylon and polyester rope; string and silver ball chain
In two parts: 109 ½ × 166 ¼ × 1 inches, 52 ¾ × 54 ¾ inches
(275 × 238 cm, 134 × 139 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Al-Hayy, 2023
Cotton twine; polypropylene rope; cotton braid; glass, wood, plastic, bone, shell, and semi-precious beads; memory wire, polyester fabric strips; mohair
79 ½ × 57 ½ × 1 inches
(201.9 × 146.1 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Blind drawing of a rose i, 2019
Pen on cartridge paper
8 ¼ × 10 ⅜ inches
(21 × 26.4 cm)
Framed: 12 × 14 ⅛ × 1 ⅜ inches
(30.5 × 35.9 × 3.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Blind drawing of a rose ii, 2019
Pen on cartridge paper
8 ¼ × 10 ⅜ inches
(21 × 26.4 cm)
Framed: 12 × 14 ⅛ × 1 ⅜ inches
(30.5 × 35.9 × 3.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Die Berge Roep Die Stof Vir Gebed (the mountains called the dust to prayer), 2022
Wood, plastic, glass, and metal beads; copper and gold wire; memory wire; gold link chain; steel
30 ¼ × 52 ½ × 35 inches
(76.8 × 133.4 × 88.9 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Don’t Forget to Remember, 2018
Scarf hanger, paint, wire, beads, twine and ropes
97 ¼ × 42 ½ × 6 inches
(247 × 108 × 15.2 cm)
Igshaan Adams
For the ones we carry, 2023–2025
Cotton twine; polypropylene; nylon and cotton ropes; poly cotton and viscose fabric; wood, plastic, glass, semi precious stone beads; spiral and cowry sea shells and tiger tail wire
108 ½ × 121 ¾ × 1 inches
(275.6 × 309.2 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Hoek Onder Die Trappe (corner beneath the staircase), 2022
Acrylic-painted wood beads; plastic, glass, and stone beads; polyester and nylon rope; mixed braided rope
92 ⅜ × 117 ½ × 1 inches
(234.6 × 298.5 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
I am with you, 2025
Cotton twine; jute braided polyester rope; silk and cotton fabric; mohair wool; wood, glass, plastic, metal and semi-precious stone beads and tiger tail wire
123 ½ × 145 ½ × 1 inches
(313.7 × 369.6 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Jou ma se poes (untitled portrait,), 2009
Machine-sewn cotton thread on felted blanket
17 ½ × 13 ⅜ × ¼ inches
(44.5 × 34 × 0.6 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Khamsa 3, 2019
Woven nylon rope, string, beads and mixed media
62 ½ × 58 ¾ × 1 ½ inches
(158.8 × 149.2 × 3.8 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Klip Gooi (stone throw) i, 2021
Wood, glass, and stone beads, seashells, metal earrings and charms, variety of metal wires (galvanized and memory wire); lamp shades
108 × 109 × 42 inches
(274.3 × 276.9 × 106.7 cm)
Igshaan Adams
La, 2013
Steel ring, string curtain, acrylic glue
85 ½ × 21 × 15 ⅛ inches
(217.2 × 53.3 × 38.4 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Lynloop xi, 2025
Wood, plastic, glass, stone and crystal beads; metal charms; rose gold chain and tiger tail wire
47 ¼ × 35 × 35 inches
(120 × 88.9 × 88.9 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Lynloop xii, 2025
Wood, plastic, glass, stone and crystal beads; metal charms; rose gold chain and tiger tail wire
72 × 33 ½ × 42 inches
(182.9 × 85.1 × 106.7 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Lynloop xiii, 2025
Wood, plastic, glass, stone and crystal beads; metal charms; rose gold chain and tiger tail wire
In three parts
Dimensions variable
Igshaan Adams
Mossies Bou Neste In Die Kinders Se Maë (sparrows build nests in children’s bellies), 2022
Wood, plastic, glass, and metal beads; nickel-plated charms; seashells; copper, gold, and memory wire; spring wire; gold link chain
20 × 27 ½ × 23 ¾ inches
(50.8 × 70 × 60.3 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Onder Die Voorkamer Lig (beneath the living room lights), 2022
Wood, plastic, stone, glass, and metal beads; mixed braid and polyester rope; metal link chain; wire; cotton twine
93 ¼ × 112 ½ × 1 inches
(236.9 × 285.8 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Oorblyf, 2017–2022
Nylon rope, cotton twine, plastic beads, wire
64 ¾ × 43 ⅝ × 12 inches
(164.5 × 110.8 × 30.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Rahma (Grace), 2018
Glass and acrylic beads, wire
123 ⅝ × 127 ¼ × 1 inches
(314 × 323.2 x 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Salat Aljamaeat Min Bonteheuwel i, 2023
Cotton twine; polypropylene and cotton rope; wood, plastic, glass, synthetic, semi-precious stone and cowry seashell beads; polycotton fabric and tiger tail wire
50 ¼ × 51 × 1 inches
(127.6 × 129.5 x 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Salat Aljamaeat Min Bonteheuwel iii, 2024
Cotton twine; polypropylene and plastic rope; mohair; gold and silver-linked ball chain; plastic beads; tiger tail wire
55 × 43 ¾ × 1 inches
(139.7 × 111.1 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Study of a pink rose, 2023/2025
Color pencil on Fabriano paper
11 ⅛ × 16 ½ inches
(28.3 × 41.9 cm)
Framed: 15 ¼ × 20 ⅜ × 1 ⅜ inches
(38.7 × 51.8 × 3.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Study of a small white rose, 2024
Color pencil on Fabriano paper
11 ¼ × 16 ½ inches
(28.6 × 41.9 cm)
Framed: 15 ¼ × 20 ½ × 1 ⅜ inches
(38.7 × 52.1 × 3.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Tapyt, 2025
Cotton twine; polypropylene and polyester braided rope; plastic, glass and wood beads; mohair wool; gold chain and tiger tail wire
12 ½ × 10 × 4 ⅛ inches
(31.8 × 25.4 × 10.5 cm)
Display case: 13 ⅝ × 11 ⅜ × 5 inches
(34.6 × 28.9 × 12.7 cm)
Edition of 31 plus 5 artist’s proofs (#5/31)
Igshaan Adams
The certainty of being a rose (i), 2025
Cotton twine, polyester and polypropylene braided rope, cotton fabric, wood, glass, stone and plastic beads and tiger tail wire
94 ¾ × 52 × 1 inches
(240.7 × 132.1 × 2.5 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Tyd en wyl, 2019
Shells, glass beads and stones
122 ⅜ × 9 × 9 inches
(310.8 × 22.9 × 22.9 cm)
Igshaan Adams
Worstel (wrestle), 2021
Wood, glass and acrylic beads; variety of metal wires (memory, steel, and plastic coated); iron base; mild steel; enamel paint and resin
33 ¼ × 46 ¼ × 35 ½ inches
(84.5 × 117.5 × 90.2 cm)