Bio / Artist CV - Nardstar*

Nardstar*

Visual Artist

Nardstar* is a South African street artist based in Cape Town. Her unique geometric-esque style has propelled her to the top of Africa’s growing urban art universe while continually flaunting her humble nature and love for traditional graffiti lettering. Expressing herself through bold lines, distinctive colour palettes and engaging subject matter which combine figurative and natural elements such as local flora and fauna, her vibrant artworks enrich their surroundings and spark constructive dialogue. Bursting with imagination, Nardstar* dazzles on any occasion; be it inside the studio or on the streets, from walls and canvas, to designing on the computer, and for a range of client briefs. Freshness and persistence has awarded her major accolades, including packaging designs for brands such as Castle Lite beer, sneaker customisation for Converse, window displays for Woolworths and large-scale murals for aquariums and residential buildings, to international festivals and artist residencies in France, Brazil, and the USA on more than one occasion, adding her name to walls of fame, and blessing the Nike worldwide headquarters with her talent. Formidable and flexible, she continues to wield her spray can to gain further notoriety, delving into relatable stories and pushing her own creative exploits to new heights.

Projects/Festivals:

Bushwick Collective, Brooklyn NYC (2013)
Two murals were painted as part of this community driven beautification project.

Grafikama, Nante France (2016)
Artists from around Africa and French artists collaborated on tranforming an abandoned building into an exhibition.

Les Escales Festival, Saint Nazaire France (2016)
Nardstar was commissioned by the celebrated annual music festival to create artwork used for promotional media such as posters and signage. She also painted a large fynbos (indigenous South African vegetation) themed mural as part of the festival.

Obama Foundation Summit, Chicago US (2017)
At the inaugural event launching the Obama Foundation in Chicago, Nardstar was invited to create a mural at the event. She did a live mural painting of female activists who were part of the South African fight against apartheid. Attendees of the even were invited to participate in the painting process using markers as a way of creating awareness around the history of the anti-apartheid movement.

World Nike Headquarters Mural Project, Portland Oregon (2017)
A global group of street artists were curated to create murals celebrating Nike’s love of basketball. Nardstar painted a portrait of a WNBA player.

Festival Concreto, Brazil (2019)
Artists from South America and around the world met in Fortaleza, Brazil for the annual mural festival. Nardstar painted a mural depicting woman of colour and the connection between the South African and Brazilian heritages.

Open Society Covid Awareness Mural Project (2021)
Painting her biggest mural to date, Nardstar took on a set of 20 metre high silos in the township of Philippi in Cape Town. She worked with the community to find out about their experiences during the Covid pandemic. A common theme was that the community learned how to look out for each other through the struggles of sickness, job loss and loss of loved ones. The mural represents their experience by painting portraits of community members alongside the word UBUNTU which roughly translate as “I am because you are.”

Pow!Wow! Doha, Qatar (2021)

Millerntor Gallery, Germany (2023)

Exhibitions

CORE (2012)
Trinity International Hip Hop Festival (Connecticut, US, 2013)
Alpha Longboards Showcase (Germany, 2013)
Adidas Happy Hour Group Show (JHB, 2013)
Urban A Exhibition, Space Between Gallery (2015)
10/10 Group Show, Space Between Gallery (2015)
Welcome to my Garden, Space Between Gallery (2015)
That Art Fair, World Art Gallery (2016)
Turbine Art Fair, Prints on Paper (2017)
Worse Than Heroin, World Art Gallery (2019)
What Connects Us, 1XRun (Detroit US, 2021)
Brutal Gallery (2022)
Millerntor Gallery (Germany, 2023)