Catherine Ocholla was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1983. She grew up in South Africa and completed
her MFA in Painting with Distinction at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape
Town, in 2022.
Since 2007, she has been a full time artist and painter, immersing herself in various art related
projects that have included the curation of group events and participation in numerous solo and
group exhibitions, notably participating in the Joburg (2018) and Cape Town Art Fairs (2019), circumventing
the lockdown with a successful 3D online solo exhibition at State-of-the-Art Gallery,
Cape Town in 2020, completing her MFA exam in March, 2022, with a solo exhibition emanating
from this at the World Art Gallery in May of that year, and taking part in the Cubicle series at Everard
Read in 2023. She is currently working towards a solo exhibition in 2025.
Artist CV/ BIO
1. Personal Details
• First name: Catherine
• Surname: Ocholla
• Date of Birth: 20/11/1983
• Place of Birth: Nairobi, Kenya
• Citizenship: South African
• Languages: English, Russian
• Location: Cape Town
• E-mail: catherineocholla@gmail.com
• Website: catherineocholla.com
• Cell no: 0796524760
• Instagram: @catherineocholla
2. Education
• 2020 - 2022, University of Cape Town, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Master of Fine Art with distinction
• 2004 - 2007, University of Cape Town, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art
• 2001 – 2003, University of Cape Town, BSc (Computer Science)
• 1996 – 2000, Matriculated with Exemption, Empangeni High School, South Africa
3. Work, Exhibitions, Projects
2024, Part time teaching (2nd Year painting), February - March, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2023, Part time teaching (2nd Year painting), February - March, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2023, Group show, Heaven and Earth, 4 Nov - 9 Dec, State of the Art Gallery, Cape Town
2023, Two person show, Last days in the sun, 14 Oct - 21 Nov, Origin Art Gallery, Johannesburg
2023, Group show, Time and tide wait for no man, 15 Feb - 18 March, State of the Art Gallery,Cape Town
2023, Group show, Cubicle Series: It takes a village, 9 - 21 Jan, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town
2022, Solo Show, Chapter III: Fly, 5 - 27 May, World Art Gallery, Cape Town
2022, MFA exam, March 30 and 31st, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2022, Part time teaching (2nd Year Painting), February - March, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2021, Part time teaching (2nd Year Painting), February - March, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2020, Solo Show, The Space Between, State-of-the-art Gallery, 29 April - 6 May, Cape Town
2020, Part time teaching (2nd Year Painting), 11 Feb - 11 March, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2019 - 2020, November 22nd - January 31st, Pop up Art studio/ gallery, 37 Roeland Street, CapeTown
2019, Group Show, Conversations, 5 March - 12 April, Michaelis Gallery, Cape Town
2019, Cape Town Art Fair, World Art Gallery stand, Cape Town
2019, Part time teaching (2nd Year Painting), 11 Feb - 11 March, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2018, Jo’burg Art Fair, World Art Gallery stand, Cape Town
2018, Part time teaching (2nd Year Painting), March 6th - 19th, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2018, Group Show, Super Nature, 7 - 23 June, State of the Art Gallery, Cape Town
2017, Part time teaching (First Year Painting), 18 April - 8 May, Michaelis School of Fine Art
2017, Group Show, Trop Comprendre, 3 Oct - 30 Sept, Sulger-Buel Lovell Gallery, London
2017, Top 40 Exhibition, Sanlam Portrait Award, Rust en Vrede Gallery, Bellville
2016, Solo Show, Late night, Early morning, 6 - 22 Oct, World Art Gallery, Cape Town
2016, Group Show, 7 - 23 July, State of the Art Gallery, Cape Town
2016, Group Show, 5 May - 31 July, Eclectica Design and Art, Cape Town
2015, Solo Show, Barfly, 1 - 29 Oct, World Art Gallery, Cape Town
2015, Cape Town Art Fair, 26 Feb - 1 March, World Art Gallery, Cape Town
2014, Solo Show, The trip, 2 Oct - 30 October, World Art Gallery, Cape Town
2014, Solo Show, Aria, 7 - 23 August, State of the Art Gallery, Cape Town
2012, Solo Show, Nothing new under the sun, AVA gallery, 4 - 29 June, Cape Town
2011, Group Show, Turpentine, Artscape, 25 Jan, Cape Town
2010, Curator, The Usual Suspects: Battle of the Art DJs, Jo’burg Bar’s 10th Anniversary, 3rd December,Cape Town
2010, Curator, The Big Hole, Kimberley Hotel, 11 August, Cape Town
2010, Group Show, Ways of Seeing, Ore Gallery, Cape Town
2010, Group Show, Smogasbord, Wessel Snyman Creative, Cape Town
2010, Group Show, Tretchikoff and me, Salon 91, 23 June – 31 July, Cape Town
2010, Group Show, Inverting the Pyramid, Blank Projects, 10 June - 10 July, Cape Town
2010, Solo Show, Wise Cracks, Blank Projects, 5 – 29 May, Cape Town
2009, Group Show, History(n), UCA Gallery, 23 Sept - 16 Oct, Cape Town
2009, Curator, Voight-Kampff, UCA Gallery, 29 July - 21 Aug, Cape Town
2009, Group Show, Nuance, UCA Gallery, Cape Town
2009, Group Show, Supermarket, the Muti Gallery, Cape Town
2007, Group Show, Michaelis Graduate Show, UCT, Cape Town
2007, Group Show, Headlines, African Studies Gallery, UCT, Cape Town
2006, Curator, Ad Hoc, Cape Town
2006, Group Show, The Cape Town International Biennale, Blank Projects, Cape Town
4. References
World Art Gallery, Cape Town
State of the Art Gallery, Cape Town
Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town