name: ‘Kipades’ (artist pseudonym. Pronunciation: Ki-paids )
A Multi-Disciplinary Creative Journey
Since qualifying in Graphic Design in 1987, Ade Kipades has cultivated a rich and diverse career spanning illustration, ceramic craftsmanship, and fine art painting. His artistic evolution is marked by a seamless transition between mediums, driven by a relentless curiosity for form, texture and underlying patterns.
Professional Evolution & Global Influence
The early stages of Kipades’ career were defined by the world of advertising and publishing illustration, balanced by a personal exploration of impressionist painting. This foundation in visual storytelling eventually transitioned into a ceramic crafts, a passion that took him abroad to expand his technical repertoire.
While working abroad, Kipades began experimenting with contemporary abstract painting. This shift eventually became his primary focus, transforming a lifelong hobby into a rigorous full-time practice. His work today is a testament to that transition, blending the structured discipline of design with the fluid intuition of contemporary art.
Collections & Legacy
Now settled in the picturesque Riebeek Valley, South Africa, Kipades has established himself in the local art scene. His work is held in numerous esteemed private and corporate art collections, resonating with audiences both nationally and internationally.
Notably, the historic Owloon Manor House in the Paarl Valley holds the largest single private collection of Kipades’ abstract works, cementing his legacy within the region’s cultural landscape.
Process & Method: Defining the Underlying Structure
At the heart of my practice is a search to define, reconstruct, and express the underlying patterns of the world around me. Whether investigating a physical object, the complexities of social behavior, or the essence of a life form, my work seeks to map the hidden blueprints of existence.
While my inquiry is analytical, the resolution is always tactile. I believe that the physical act of painting is the most profound way to convey these discoveries. Through process-led painting, I translate raw observation into a tangible visual language, allowing the medium to bridge the gap between abstract theory and formal expression.
Influence and Inspiration
My work lives at the intersection of the digital and the contemplative. Internet culture serves as a primary source of influence, providing a vast landscape of imagery and social data that informs my subject matter. This modern influence is filtered through a lens of:
- Philosophical Inquiry: Questioning the structures that govern our digital and physical realities.
- Meditative Introspection: Using the studio process to find stillness within a high-velocity information age.
- Hybrid Imagery: A seamless blend of abstract and figurative elements that mirror the complexity of contemporary life.
The Convergence of Form
By synthesizing these influences, my paintings become an exploration of “the seen and the sensed.” I aim to create work that invites the viewer into a state of deep looking, where the patterns of our modern world are decoded and redefined through color, texture, and form.
Exhibitions
Group Exhibition 4 December 2025: FD Gallery. Cape Town
Solo Studios 2025: Riebeek valley
Group Exhibition 2025: Betrag Gallery, Stanford 8th February to 28 March
Group Exhibition 2024-2025: RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel
Solo Studios 2024: Riebeek Valley
Solo Exhibition 2024: RK Contemporary, De Waterkant, Cape Town
Group Exhibition 2024: RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel.
Solo Studios. 2023: Riebeek Valley
Group Exhibition 2023: RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel.
Group Exhibition 2022: RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel
Solo Studios 2022: Riebeek Valley
Group Exhibition 2022 : Mok Gallery, Muratie Wine Estate
SculptX2021 : The Melrose Gallery, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg
Group Exhibition. 2021: RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel.
Group Exhibition 2021: Nel.on.long, Cape Town
Solo Studios 2020: Riebeek Valley.
Group Exhibition 2020: Mok Gallery, Muratie Wine Estate, Stellenbosch,
Group exhibition 2020: RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel.
Group Exhibition 2020: Christo Coetzee Museum&Gallery, Tulbagh. .
Group Exhibition 2019: Gregg Price Gallery, Nieu Bethesda
Group Exhibition 2019: GalleryONE11, 111 Loop st., Cape Town
Group Exhibition 2019:The Cube, EC Art Gallery, Tulbagh Arts Festival.
Solo Studios 2019: Riebeek Valley.
Group Exhibition 2019: GalleryONE11, Cape Town.
Solo Exhibition 2019: Mok Gallery, Murati Wine Estate, Stellenbosch.
Solo Exhibition 2019: Epicenter Fine Art Gallery, Tulbagh.
Solo Exhibition 2018, RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel.
Group Exhibition 2019, The Barn Schalkenbosch, Tulbagh Art Festival
Group Exhibition 2017: Absolute Art Gallery , Stellenbosch
Group Exhibition 2017: Sasol New Signatures.
Group Exhibitions 2015, Napoli Nostra (Naples and Venice Biennale) Italy
Group exhibition 2014: Ri-CREARE Arts Festival Guardia Sanframondi, Italy
International Ceramics Fair (ceramics) 2010 to 2012, (Florence, Italy)
Exhibitor 2006-2015 : ceramic craft Fairs, Italy
Group Exhibition 1993: Artists Co Operative, Observatory, Cape Town.
Collections
Spier/Nandos (corporate)
Dr. Christian Elleke (private) / Owloon
Awards
Graphic Design Student of the Year Award: 1987
4th Artslant showcase winner Drawing Award : 2010
1st Artslant showcase winner Drawing Award: 2011
7th Artslant Showcase Winner Abstract Award: 2013
Finalist, Sasol New Signatures (National Art Competition): 2017
Schalkenbosch Infinite Art Award, 2nd place. Tulbagh Art Festival: 2018
Featured work
Latitudes Online
Ceramic crafts 2006 – 2013
abstract expression 2010 – 2016
spontaneous mark making
2013 – 2014: eye mapping
2015
Kipades 