07/09/2026
Willem Boshoff is a contemporary South African artist born in 1951 in Vanderbijlpark. His work explores the complexity and simplicity of the written word. By utilising the Roman alphabet, Boshoff draws on his bilingualism and cleverness to convey his intentions to the viewer. His artistic practice is deeply rooted in South Africa's colonial history and its landscape; he often uses materials such as sand, granite, and wood sourced from his surroundings. Through these materials, Boshoff creates a form of concrete poetry where text takes on a sculptural form.
This collection of 15 handmade bricks is titled Word Woes, similar to other works and exhibitions by Boshoff, and can be read in either Afrikaans or English with vastly different meanings. The bricks were made from Richmond soil, and Boshoff has used similar bricks to construct walls in Richmond, Bloemfontein and SMAC Gallery. The bricks were produced by rural artisans using clay and the services of “a blindfolded donkey whose orbits powered their primitive mixing drum” (O’Toole 2015). The letters embossed on the bricks spell out about 290 words.
According to Boshoff, there is “no logical linguistic reason for the choice of words. In a way they are a Dada list – a mini Dada dictionary” (Boshoff 2025). Using this collection, we can form the following Boshoff-approved words:
GANG, GAPS, G***S, LAG, LAP, LINT, LIT, LONG, NAG, PAL, PALING, PANT, SAG, SAT, SIN, SLAG, SLANG, SLAP, SNAP, SNIP, SON, SOP, SPAT, SPOT, STAT, TANG, TANS, TOG, TONG, TOT
While Boshoff has not explicitly stated why he chose bricks as a medium, their use is reminiscent of Kendell Geers' work, in which he threw a brick through a gallery window as a provocative comment on violence in South Africa. By using these bricks to build walls, this piece invites the audience, especially bilingual viewers, to contemplate the words and subtly hints towards anger and violence, which Boshoff’s work often engages with.
