THE ART OF BECOMING: Oranjemund in transition

Tucked between the Namib Desert, the Atlantic Ocean and the Orange River, Oranjemund is quietly reinventing itself. Once a closed diamond-mining town, Oranjemund is now becoming a vibrant cultural hub, led by the efforts of OMDis and the Oranjemund Art Centre. This June, the centre unveiled the OMDis Artists in Residence 2025 exhibition, marking the culmination of a month-long creative retreat that welcomed three remarkable artists to the town.

From 2 to 25 June, visitors to the Oranjemund Art Centre viewed new works by Edeltraut Rath, Hildegard Titus and Kevlyn Gowases. These artists, each distinct in background, medium and style, immersed themselves in Oranjemund’s landscape, producing works that explore identity, nature and material in resonant ways.

Edeltraut Rath, a painter from Bremen, Germany, has had a long-standing relationship with Namibia since 2000. During her residency, she turned her attention to the delicate transitions of colour found in the desert and sky. Her works experiment with colour gradients and overlays, drawing from the soft pastels of dawn and dusk and the subtle tonal shifts of desert plants. These abstract compositions speak to a meditative engagement with place, mood and the emotional language of colour.

Hildegard Titus, an interdisciplinary artist and decolonial activist based in Windhoek, explored themes of womanhood, identity and the choice to be or not to be a mother. Her project, titled Fruit of Her Womb, weaves together film and photography to reflect on fertility, care and the politics of selfhood. Deeply introspective and unapologetically critical, her work interrogates societal expectations placed on women, opening space for dialogue and reflection on autonomy and agency.

Ceramicist Kevlyn Gowases, also based in Windhoek, brought an earthy and tactile dimension to the residency. A recent graduate known for her hand-built forms and intricate textures, Kevlyn collected wild clay from the Orange River and created a new body of work shaped by the region’s geology, climate and cultural memory. Her pieces reflect the rhythms of wind and soil, carrying echoes of the hunter-gatherer communities who once inhabited the area. Each piece, textured and sculptural, becomes a vessel of place and time.

During their stay in Oranjemund, all three artists conducted workshops in their respective mediums, engaging with locals and sharing techniques, stories and insights. This spirit of collaboration and community learning is at the heart of the residency programme, which positions the arts not only as a tool for individual expression but also as a catalyst for communal growth and transformation.

The Oranjemund Art Centre, inaugurated in 2023, is run by the OMDis Town Transform Agency, which is leading Oranjemund’s transition from a mining economy to a sustainable, diversified future. The centre builds on initiatives such as the Art Can Transform project, which introduced large-scale public artworks to the town and signalled a new era of cultural vitality. By investing in creative infrastructure and fostering cross-cultural exchange, OMDis and the Oranjemund Art Centre are helping to shape a new narrative for Oranjemund – one in which art plays a central role in both economic regeneration and social cohesion.

The OMDis Artists in Residence 2025 exhibition was not just a showcase of exceptional contemporary art; it was a testament to what becomes possible when communities invest in imagination. Whether through a brushstroke, a camera lens or a piece of wild clay, these artists have brought Oranjemund into conversation with the world, revealing the town’s quiet strength and transformational beauty.

Muningandu Hoveka

A full exhibition catalogue is now available online. Follow this link to explore the work on show.

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