24 April – 30 May 2025
Beauty, ever-elusive and deeply personal, has long been intertwined with both societal standards and self-expression. Often, the pursuit of beauty becomes a means of defying limitations—whether those be physical, social, or political. It’s both a tool of empowerment and a practice of resilience, revealing strength, community, and courage in ways often overlooked.
In his highly anticipated first solo exhibition at THK Gallery, Trevor Stuurman delves into the complexities of beauty, exploring its potential and constraints through the intimate rituals of hair-making. From braiding and styling to intricate haircuts, Stuurman’s work traces beauty’s deep cultural roots, drawing from time-honoured traditions of beautification across diverse continents and communities. His approach celebrates beauty not just as a practice but as a way of life—ritualistic, ancestral, and deeply tied to survival.
“Beauty, in all its forms, is a process—sometimes inherent, often stylized, and always impactful,” Trevor explains in his exhibition statement. The show offers a rich blend of visual art, photography, and creative direction, shining a light on how beauty acts as both a personal and communal tool for resistance and expression.
Beauty is often denied to marginalized groups through systems of exclusion and oppression, yet the very practices of beautifying oneself offer transformative potential. The labor of crafting glamour is an act of reclamation, an assertion of presence in spaces that would otherwise seek to silence or erase. It is this very process of beautification that Stuurman captures, illustrating how these rituals go beyond the surface to become strategies for survival.
Trevor Stuurman’s exhibition at THK Gallery invites us to reconsider beauty—not as a fleeting pursuit but as a powerful, collective ritual that unites, empowers, and survives across time and space. It is a celebration of resilience, a call to honour beauty as a sacred practice, and a reminder of the strength we can find within ourselves and each other.
Opening Night: Thursday, 24 April | 6–8 PM
Location: THK Gallery, Cape Town