Dan Halter was born in Zimbabwe in 1977 and currently lives in South Africa. In 2001 he graduated from the University of Cape Town. His artistic research explores geographical boundaries, migrational phenomenons, and other political and social issues through a keen use of craft methods, such as weaving, and the inclusion in his work of everyday materials, such as woven plastic bags from China.
“My artistic practice is informed by my position as a Zimbabwean currently living in South Africa. My work deals with my sense of dislocated national identity, human migration and the dark humour of present realities in Southern Africa. This is largely a backlash due to a history of oppression that continues to manifest today. I use ubiquitous materials and engage with local popular visual strategies as a form of expression. My work often exploits the language of craft and curio in a conceptual art context. I explore various techniques of fabrication, and this frequently involves collaboration. I use materials that resonate with meaning and there is a narrative element to my art. I engage with history from a contemporary perspective and with the technology of today.
I have worked with Bienco Ikete, a refugee from the DRC for a number of years. Together we have organized a way of weaving paper artworks”
His solo exhibitions include Take Me to Your Leader, 2006 (João Ferreira Gallery, Cape Town), Mafuta Farm 2017 (Dillon + Lee, New York), Zimbabwean Traffic, 2017 (Skövde Konstmuseet, Skövde, Sweden), and Patience Can Cook a Stone, 2018 (Whatiftheworld / Gallery, Cape Town). He has been an artist in residence in Zürich, Cologne, Turin, Rio de Janeiro, and Dufftown in Scotland.
Halter’s work can be found in many public collections, including The South African National Gallery, UNISA (University of South Africa), University of Cape Town, Scheryn Collection, Artphilein Collection, Pigozzi Collection, SAFFCA Collection, Round About Collection, Rennie Collection, and Reydan Weiss Collection.