Andile Dyalvane is one of South Africa’s foremost ceramic artists. Guided by a deep spiritual connection to his Xhosa ancestors, Dyalvane’s complex, large-scale ceramic artworks are a metaphorical vessel through which he seeks to honour his cultural traditions and share his journey of healing.

Born in 1978 in the small village of Ngobozana in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa, Dyalvane grew up farming and looking after his father’s cattle herd – sewing a deep connection to the land that resonates powerfully through his work today. A member of the International Academy of Ceramics, he completed a National Diploma in Ceramic Design at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2003 and co-founded Imiso Ceramics with fellow ceramic artist Zizipho Poswa in 2005.

Dyalvane has held solo exhibitions at Southern Guild (Cape Town) and Friedman Benda (New York). He made his international solo debut with ‘Camagu’, a ground-breaking collection of over-scaled ceramic vessels, lighting and furniture at Friedman Benda in 2016. The exhibition’s title is a Xhosa term expressing gratitude, spoken in particular when acknowledging one’s ancestors, and it has become a much-used mantra for the artist. ‘iThongo’ (Ancestral Dreamscapes), a major series of large-scale ceramic seats, debuted in his home village at the end of 2019, before being exhibited at Southern Guild Cape Town followed by at Friedman Benda. Dyalvane has exhibited widely, lectured, and held artist residencies all over the world.

His work is in the collections of museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vitra Design Museum, New Taipei City Yingge Ceramic Museum, Iziko South African National Gallery and Pérez Museum in Miami. Dyalvane has participated in group shows at the National Art Museum of China, the inaugural Indian Ocean Triennial in Perth, and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, among others. Southern Guild has shown his work at international fairs such as Design Miami, FOG Design+Art, Design Miami/ Basel, The Salon Art + Design, NY Now and Design Days Dubai.