Nicola Roos South African, b. 1996
“At the time I was looking for common ancestors … I particularly wanted to recognise individuals from the colonial period who may have influenced the self-perception of post-colonial societies, and to commemorate them rather than condemn them.”
Roos explores questions of identity, cultural hybridity, and the forgotten narratives of African diasporic history
Nicola Roos (b. 1994, Cape Town, South Africa) is a contemporary South African artist best known for her monumental figurative sculptures crafted from recycled rubber tyre tubing. Through her work, Roos explores questions of identity, cultural hybridity, and the forgotten narratives of African diasporic history. Her sculptures often depict black samurai warriors inspired by the story of Yasuke, an African man who served as a samurai in Japan during the 16th century, reimagined through a lens that fuses historical truth with mythic power.
Roos's practice is deeply rooted in postcolonial discourse and the politics of representation. Her work reflects on how African identities have been shaped, suppressed, and reasserted through global cultural exchange. By using rubber and other found materials, often loaded with industrial and colonial histories, she creates visceral, textural surfaces that carry both resilience and tension.
A graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, Roos's 2016 graduate exhibition earned her multiple awards including the Simon Gerson Prize (co-awarded) for producing an exceptional body of work, the Michaelis Prize for achieving 95% for Studio Work, and placement on the Faculty of Humanities Dean's List for two consecutive years. Her work has been exhibited internationally in leading galleries and institutions including Simchowitz Gallery (Los Angeles), Evergold Projects (San Francisco), Christie's Beverly Hills, and The Melrose Gallery (Johannesburg). Roos continues to push the boundaries of sculpture and narrative art, positioning herself among a new generation of African artists redefining contemporary global identity.