Temba is an artist, writer and researcher, born in Johannesburg, South Africa and living in Toronto since 2023. He has been practising photography, ink drawing, acrylic sculptural painting, and land art for 15 years. In 2012 he exhibited paintings and animations in an art experience Make Love & Make Art with Chrisantha Chetty. In 2013 they collaborated on a UV-lit art experience PLAY::TRANSFORM. In 2014 he had photographs selected for the Gwanzaa Month of Photography in Zimbabwe, exhibited solo collages at the 99% Local Festival, and had photocollage work selected for Conté Creative Magazine in 2015. In 2016 he participated in the group exhibition show titled ‘Series/Friends 3.3’ with several original GIFs displayed at Worldart Gallery, Cape Town. He participated in the Jozi Land Art Fair in 2016, 2017 and 2018, creating site specific rock-balancing installations and other ephemeral, natural land-art interventions. He hosted a solo show of paintings and animations titled ‘History’ at Victoria Yard Precinct in Johannesburg, January 2023. He had a book chapter published in “Knowing the City” in 2024, exploring his research and painting/sculpture practices of collecting objects in urban areas. In 2025 he participated in the Feelin’ Blue exhibition at Northern Contemporary Gallery in Toronto.
He is also a highly experienced and extensively published social sciences researcher. His work has explored public space, health equity, infrastructure transitions, environmental history, and the relationships between art practice and community wellbeing. A core conceptual endeavor for his research and artwork is exploring the threshold between public and private, between selves and others, and between humans and their environmental-social surroundings.
Education
PhD Urban and Regional Planning at University of Witwatersrand 2017-2020
The interactions between public space and spatial (in)justice: Comparing case studies in inner-city Johannesburg.
Recipient of NRF-funded bursary: Spatial Justice and Urban Resilience.
MSc African Studies at University of Oxford 2015/2016
Methodology, Ethics and Research Strategies, Education in Africa, Themes in African History and the Social Sciences.
Recipient of Canon Collins Scholarship.
BA Honours in History with Distinction at University of Witwatersrand 2013
African Environmental History, Rural Transformation in South Africa and the Making of Urban South Africa.
Research Dissertation: The Social and Ecological Impacts of the Construction of Hartebeestpoort Dam 1912-1927.
Post Graduate Merit Award recipient.
Joint recipient of prize for top honours student in history.
National Research Foundation’s Local Histories and Present Realities programme bursary recipient.
BA University of Witwatersrand 2010-2012
Majors: Applied Economics III (Development Economics, Environmental Economics, History of Economic Thought, Labour Economics), and History III (Indian Ocean World, Europe since 1870, Making of Modern South Africa part 1and2)
Received MacMillan Prize for top student in 2nd year history.
Completed 2nd year in Politics and Philosophy.
Sacred Heart College Observatory 1993–2008.
Matriculated with distinctions in English, History, Geography and Mathematics.
Recipient of prize for top history student in Matric.
Elected by peers onto Learner Leadership Council.
Art Education: Studied under Hilary Keegan (2006-2010).
Exhibitions
History – Exhibition of paintings and animations at Victoria Yard Precinct in Johannesburg.
Jozi Land Art Fair – Installation of ephemeral rock balancing sculptures and land art interventions, Johannesburg, May 2018; May 2017; May 2016.
Series/Friends 3.3 – GIFs displayed at Worldart Gallery, Cape Town, September 2016.
Conté Creative Magazine – Digital Photograph Manipulations selected to be displayed in the Candy issue of Conté Creative Magazine, May 2015.
99% Local Festival – Co-curated exhibition space with Chrisantha Chetty and exhibited solo collages as well as collaborative UV installation with Chrisantha Chetty. October 2014.
Gwanza Month of Photography – Selection of photographs selected to be exhibited in Harare as part of the Moonwalking Exhibition 19 August – 19 September 2014.
PLAY::TRANSFORM – A UV art experience of our own work produced, curated, marketed and organized in collaboration with Chrisantha Chetty and Temba Middelmann. July 2013.
Make Love and Make Art – An art show experience of our own work produced, curated, marketed, organized and catered for in collaboration with Chrisantha Chetty and Temba Middelmann. December 2012.
Employment
- Post-doctoral researcher at University of Western Cape on the Off-Grid Cities project (November 2021- December 2023)
- Supervisor of Masters student in Urban Management Degree, University of Witwatersrand (2022)
- Researcher and treasurer on committee of Johannesburg Homelessness Network (February 2021- April 2023)
- Occasional teaching and marking for Understanding Cities of the South (ARPL7010 and 5004, University of Witwatersrand) (Jan 2019 – April 2021)
- Intermittent teaching of academic writing (University of Witwatersrand) (2017-2020)
- Organisation and administration of Faces of the City seminar series in collaboration with GCRO, CUBES and SAARCHI (Feb 2021 – August 2021)
- Post-doctoral research fellow hosted by the Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment Studies in the Life in the Cities Programme, based at the Wits School of Governance (April 2020- September 2021)
- Research and writing for SACN and GIZ urban safety policy brief (May-June 2020).
- Peer Reviewer for international peer-reviewed journal Urban Studies (May 2020- September 2021), Journal of Urban Affairs (2021), International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (2022), Journal of Public Space (2023), Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa (2023).
- Co-supervisor of BSc (Hons) research project at University of Witwatersrand (2018)
- Marker at University of Witwatersrand (July 2017 – November 2019), marking Honours and Masters level assignments in Understanding Cities of the South.
- Marker at University of South Africa (August 2014-2019): Marking HYS1502 assignments.
- Social Secretary for the University of Oxford Africa Society (October 2015-July 2016).
- History Tutor at University of Witwatersrand (2013-September 2015):
- Tutoring 1st year students in Global Encounters and Contemporary Realities: Africa and Latin America.
- Research Assistance for Prof. Clive Glaser (September 2014– August 2015)
- Events organisation, artist promotions, DJing, graphic design and social media management at BeatNN collective (2012-2017) Johannesburg.
- Member of organising team for Churn Boutique Electronic Festival (2015 + 2016), roles including social media management.
- Member of organising committee for 99% Local Festival (2014).
- Permissions Replacement Research and Activity Amendments for Grade 12 History textbook at Pearson Holdings (April 2014).
Temba Middelmann 