Tula by Salim Currimjee at Stevenson Gallery

Stevenson Gallery in Johannesburg is showing Tula, an exhibition of new paintings and installations by Salim Currimjee until 9 May 2025. It’s a two-part show, with the second half taking place in Port Louis, Mauritius — the island Currimjee calls home. The art show is a deeply personal one that spans continents and disciplines. Here’s what you need to know.

What Tula by Salim Currimjee is about

Tula means “balance” in Sanskrit — a concept that lies at the heart of this exhibition. After more than 30 years working as both architect and artist, Salim Currimjee has found a way to bring both practices into harmony.

His paintings and installations play with space, texture, colour and history. The works on show feel like architectural constructions, designed to provoke an emotional and physical response. But they’re also deeply personal, shaped by his connection to Mauritius.

In Tula, he draws on Indian and Mughal painting traditions, where space is shown from many perspectives. His canvases break away from Western depth illusions and instead feature overlapping viewpoints. Plexiglass elements add dimension and disrupt flatness, pulling the viewer into a more active experience.

Compared to earlier work, Tula moves toward nature and light. Earthy textures and colours reflect the Mauritian landscape. It’s a show about balance — between cultures, disciplines and the shifting spaces we move through every day.

Currimjee often presents his work in two locations at once — in galleries and across public heritage sites in Port Louis. These site-specific pieces offer new ways to experience the city and its layered cultural roots.

More about the artist

Salim Currimjee is an artist and architect based in Port Louis, Mauritius. His practice moves fluidly between disciplines, often blending architecture, painting and installation to explore ideas around space, identity and cultural hybridity.

The artist studied Biology and Art History at Williams College, Massachusetts, and Architecture at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Over the years, his work has been shown internationally, including exhibitions in Amsterdam, New Delhi and Paris.

Currimjee is particularly interested in how art interacts with place. His dual exhibitions — staged both in galleries and in public heritage sites — have become a key part of his practice. He continues to find new ways of reimagining space and rooting contemporary art in the layered, creolised culture of Mauritius.

Need to know before you go

Cost: FREE entry

When: Running until 29 May 2025. Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Saturday, 10am to 1pm
Where: Stevenson Gallery, 46 7th Ave, Parktown North, Randburg, Johannesburg

Website: stevenson.info
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 011 403 1055
Instagram: @stevenson_za
Facebook: @Stevenson.Gallery