William Kentridge

William Kentridge (b. 1955, Johannesburg) works across mediums of drawing, writing, film, performance, music, theater, and collaborative practices to create works of art that are grounded in politics, science, literature, and history, always maintaining a space for contradiction and uncertainty.

His work has been seen in museums and galleries around the world since the 1990s and can be found in the collections of art museums and institutions across the globe. He has directed operas for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the English National Opera in London, the Sydney Opera House, and the Salzburg Festival. His original works for stage combine performance, projections, shadow play, voice, and music, and include “Refuse the Hour,” “The Head & the Load,” “Waiting for the Sibyl,” and “The Great Yes, The Great No.”

Kentridge is the recipient of honorary doctorates from several universities including Yale, Columbia, and the University of London. Prizes include the Kyoto Prize (2010), the Princesa de Asturias Award (2017), the Praemium Imperiale Prize (2019), and an Olivier award in 2023.