Within South Africa we courier your artwork to your door - the shipping cost will show at the checkout.
When shipping art internationally, two primary options are commonly considered: crated and rolled. Crating involves securely packaging the artwork in a custom-built crate, providing maximum protection against physical damage but often resulting in higher shipping costs due to size and weight. On the other hand, rolling art involves taking stretched paintings off the frame, carefully wrapping the artwork and placing it in a protective tube. This method is more cost-effective and suitable for flexible pieces. Choosing between crating and rolling depends on the specific artwork's size, fragility, and budget, as well as the destination's shipping requirements and regulations.
We will be in touch regarding the best options for you.
Virtual hanging of art is an innovative service we offer that allows art enthusiasts and collectors to visualize how artworks will appear in their desired spaces before making a purchase. We digitally place the selected artworks on your walls, in the correct scale to achieve the desired aesthetic. This service not only helps in making informed decisions but also enhances the overall art-buying experience, providing a realistic preview of the final result and ensuring that the chosen artworks harmonize with the surrounding decor. Please contact us to make use of this service!
The presence of a Black African woman standing at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town holds profound historical and symbolic significance.
Built in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company, the Castle is one of South Africa’s oldest colonial structures, serving as a bastion of European power, trade, and, ultimately, oppression during the colonial and apartheid eras. Historically, it was a site of exclusion, exploitation, and marginalization for Black South Africans.
In this artwork, the juxtaposition of the poised and dignified Black African woman against the backdrop of the Castle speaks to a powerful reclamation of space and history. Her presence disrupts the narrative of exclusion, transforming the Castle from a symbol of colonial dominance into a stage for empowerment, identity, and resilience.
Dressed with intention and pride, she becomes a representation of modern South Africa—defiant, self-assured, and unshaken by the weight of history.
This piece challenges viewers to confront the past while acknowledging the progress made and the strength of individuals who now occupy spaces once designed to suppress them. The Castle no longer towers over her; instead, she stands grounded, reclaiming its narrative as her own—a testament to the endurance and triumph of Black South Africans over centuries of adversity.
Additional information
Size
A0: 122 x 87 cm, A1: 88 x 63.4 cm, A2: 63.4 x 46 cm
Brand
Ruan Jooste
Ruan Jooste
Ruan Jooste was born in 1988 and raised in Nigel, a small town in Gauteng, southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa. From a young age, he was drawn to creative expression as a means of understanding the world around him. He initially pursued a passion for fashion design, which later evolved into photography as his first vehicle for visual storytelling. Self-taught, he developed a refined sensitivity to composition, light, and narrative tension, skills that continue to underpin his current digital painting practice. This foundation in design and photography laid the groundwork for his distinctive digital art practice, where realism and subtle surreal undertones converge into layered, meticulously detailed compositions.
Over time, his fashion and photography background merged into a cohesive visual language, enabling him to construct artworks that balance emotional depth, narrative, and visual storytelling. His works often explore themes of memory, displacement, vulnerability, and the quiet complexities of contemporary identity, reflecting moments of stillness within movement and capturing resilience and beauty in everyday life.
Having lived and worked in Pretoria, Toronto, Johannesburg, Phuket, and now Cape Town, Jooste’s nomadic experiences inform his global perspective and reinforce his belief in shared human experience: “As human beings, we are more alike than we are different.” These diverse cultural environments have profoundly shaped his worldview and artistic philosophy.
In 2021, Jooste held his first solo exhibition in Cape Town, which received outstanding critical and public acclaim. His work has since been featured on the covers of Sunday Times Lifestyle and Art Times, and in publications such as House & Leisure and Dossier Magazine. Internationally, he has exhibited at the AKAA Art Fair in Paris, as well as in New York, Austria, and Germany.
Central to Jooste’s practice is a commitment to craftsmanship within the digital medium. Working with a drawing tablet, he constructs each artwork stroke by stroke, a process that can take weeks or months without relying on filters or artificial intelligence. This patient construction emphasizes digital painting as a contemporary extension of traditional fine art.
His art is part of the official RMB collection and has been featured in a Strauss & Co. auction, marking significant milestones in his professional journey. In 2025, he presented his works in the dual exhibition Conflux at 33BREE, further cementing his presence in the contemporary art landscape.
Through his work, Ruan Jooste seeks to bridge divides and emphasize shared humanity. He portrays his subjects as members of a shared tribe defined by courage, positivity, and joy, reminding audiences of the deep commonalities that unite people beyond superficial differences.
He is represented by The Travelling Art Gallery as well as The Artists Gallery.
Please browse through Ruan Jooste's catalogue to explore more available works.
