东京热

Mr. Alexander Opper

Senior Lecturer
Name: Alexander Opper
Location: LG025 FADA Building Bunting Road Campus
FADA Architecture Staff听 Staff Members

Contact Details:
Tel: 011 559 1099

Email:听alexo@uj.ac.za

About Mr. Alexander Opper

Alexander Opper (b. 1972, Pretoria) is an artist, educator, writer, professional architect, designer, and curator. He completed his undergraduate studies in architecture at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1993. While living in Berlin (1995-2005), he completed a master鈥檚 degree in architecture, titled 鈥楽clo脽 als Materie鈥� (The Matter of the Castle), at the University of the Arts (UdK) in 2001. He settled in Johannesburg in 2006. Since 2007, he has taught in the Department of Architecture (in the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture) at the 东京热 (UJ) where he designed and led the department鈥檚 first ever master鈥檚 programme between 2011 and 2014. Opper鈥檚 artistic practice and primary research interests are rooted in a radical disciplinary shift from making architecture towards its unmaking. From an earlier practice base of 鈥榙oing鈥� architecture, a new critical practice of a type of 鈥榓rchitecture-in-reverse鈥� has emerged 鈥� an approach Opper refers to as 鈥楿ndoing Architecture鈥�. His projects are situated in the productive field of tension between art and architecture. His ideas are translated through his mutually interdependent artistic, writing, and teaching practices. In a world paradoxically more connected yet simultaneously more divided than ever, he explores the loaded themes of line, border, territory, and language. Opper鈥檚 work manifests through a wide range of media, including installation, sculpture, drawing, photography, collage, artist鈥檚 books, and video. As an academic, Opper regularly presents and publishes on the productive frictions between art and architecture, guided by an aspiration to contribute to the discourse of decolonisation in the field of architecture (see for a selection of his writing). Since joining UJ he has stewarded many and varied Community Engagement projects (as far afield as Chimpamba in Malawi). He has also consistently and successfully participated in UJ/FADA鈥檚 Creative Research Output procedures. Opper has achieved a C-2 rating with the National Research Foundation (NRF) for two consecutive cycles (2017-22 and 2023-28). He is currently registered for his PhD at the University of Bayreuth鈥檚 Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS).

Opper鈥檚 work is held in the following collections: Johannesburg Art Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Jack Ginsberg Centre for the Book Arts, Modern Art Projects (MAP), Richmond, and in numerous private collections. Key solo exhibitions are Separ(n)ation (2013) and Uitval Unfolded (2015). Opper鈥檚 contributions to multiple group exhibitions have further cemented his critical spatial practice. Some of these exhibitions are: The Double Body: Being in Space (2009), Time鈥檚 Arrow (2010), TWENTY: Contemporary Art from South Africa (USA, 2014-15; South Africa, 2015), Past Imperfect // Future Present (2015), Booknesses (2017), Interventions in Practice (2021), Jan-Ken Paa/Paper (2022), In/Visible (2024) and recent exhibitions with Graham Contemporary in Johannesburg (see: https://grahamsgallery.co.za/alexander-opper/). A selection of his work will be shown at the art fair, Volta Basel (18-22 June 2025). Opper was awarded the prestigious Ampersand Foundation fellowship and residency for the month of July 2022.

ORCID: 0000-0002-8129-4551

Google Scholar:

Instagram serves as the primary locus of Opper鈥檚 artist practice and outputs: @thematterofalexanderopper

Exhibitions

2023 Green Fuse: Group exhibition. Graham Contemporary.听Johannesburg. 23 Nov-31 Dec.

2023听 2020. Modern Art Projects.听Richmond. March onwards (showing the full set of my 9-photograph work,听20 seconds, as well as Image #16 from my 16-photograph work,听Figure/Ground).

2023 Sunny Side Up: Summer Group exhibition. Graham Contemporary.听Johannesburg. 26 Jan-26 Mar.

2022-23 New Day: Spring Group exhibition. Graham Contemporary.听Johannesburg. 3 Nov 2022-22 Jan 2023.

2022 Romancing the Stone. KZNSA Gallery.听Durban. 21 Sept-21 Oct.

2022 Jan-Ken Paa/Paper. Studio Gallery SPG no. 3. Muizenberg,听Cape Town. 22 Jul-31 Dec.

2021 Interventions in Practice. UJ. FADA Gallery. FADA. Bunting Road Campus.听Johannesburg. 10 Aug-15 Oct. See Catalogue here:听.

2017 Booknesses: South African Artists鈥� Books. FADA Gallery. FADA. 东京热 (UJ).听Johannesburg. 24 Mar-5 May.

2017 Booknesses: Artist鈥檚 Books from the Jack Ginsberg Collection. UJ Art Gallery. UJ.听Johannesburg. 25 Mar-5 May.

2015 Past Imperfect // Future Present. FADA Gallery. FADA.听Johannesburg. 24 Mar-1 May.

2015 GROUP. The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).听Johannesburg. 8-22 Apr.

2015 (solo)Uitval: Unfolded. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).听Johannesburg. 4-26 March.

2014-15 TWENTY: Contemporary Art from South Africa. Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Appalachian State University.听 North Carolina.听USA. 11 Jul 2014-7 Feb 2015.

2014 TWENTY: Contemporary Art from South Africa. Pretoria Art Museum.听Pretoria.

2013听(solo)听听听听听 Separ(n)ation. Goethe on Main. Johannesburg. 24 Oct-17 Nov.

2011 The South African Informal City Exhibition听(Informal Studio: Ruimsig, a collaborative studio between the Department of Architecture, UJ, FADA and 26鈥�10 south Architects). Bus Factory.听Johannesburg. 11 Nov-11 Dec.

2010 Cloak & Dagger: The Curtain Raiser. Security Building.听Johannesburg. 25 Nov-31 Dec.

2010 Draw links:听An exhibition of contemporary drawings. Gallery Art on Paper.听Johannesburg. 9-30 Oct.

2010 The Spirit is not an Idea, Says the Penguin. CO-OP.听Johannesburg. 18 Mar-17 Apr.

2010 Time鈥檚 Arrow. Johannesburg Art Gallery.听Johannesburg. 21 Feb-18 Apr.

2009 2^nd听Floor, Security Building. Security Building.听Johannesburg. 28 Nov.

2009 FADA Staff Show. UJ. FADA Gallery.听Johannesburg. 22 Sept-16 Oct.

2009 The Double Body: being in space. UJ. FADA Gallery.听Johannesburg. 20 May-21 Jun.

2010 Cloak & Dagger: The Curtain Raiser. Security Building.听Johannesburg. 25 Nov-31 Dec.

2010 Draw links:听An exhibition of contemporary drawings. Gallery Art on Paper.听Johannesburg. 9-30 Oct.

2010 The Spirit is not an Idea, Says the Penguin. CO-OP.听Johannesburg. 18 Mar-17 Apr.

2010 Time鈥檚 Arrow. Johannesburg Art Gallery.听Johannesburg. 21 Feb-18 Apr.

2009 2^nd听Floor, Security Building. Security Building.听Johannesburg. 28 Nov.

2009 FADA Staff Show. UJ. FADA Gallery.听Johannesburg. 22 Sept-16 Oct.

2009 The Double Body: being in space. UJ. FADA Gallery.听Johannesburg. 20 May-21 Jun.

Collections

Opper鈥檚 work is held in the collections of the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), the Smithsonian Institution, The Jack Ginsberg Centre for the Book Arts (Wits Art Museum), Modern Art Projects South Africa (info@map-southafrica.org) and in private collections.

Publications

Edited books

Opper, A, Fink, K, Siegert, N (Eds). 2022.听Das Bauhaus Verfehlen / Missing the Bauhaus. Johannesburg/Bayreuth/Lagos: iwalewabooks. (491 pages).

Artist鈥檚 books

Opper, A. 2013.听Separ(n)ation. Artist鈥檚 book. Edition of 100 (supported with funding from Goethe-Institut, Johannesburg). Johannesburg: self-published.

Book chapters

Opper, A. 2023.听Tyd om weer te kyk: Personal reflections on Willem Boshoff鈥檚 KykAfrikaans. (Chapter for a new book on the work of Willem Boshoff, forthcoming).

Opper, A, Fink, K, Siegert, N (Eds). 2022.听Introduction. In Das Bauhaus Verfehlen / Missing the Bauhaus: 7-11; 26-31; 66-69; 96-101; 186-191; 340-345 & 479-479. Johannesburg/ Bayreuth/ Lagos: iwalewabooks.

Opper, A & Ferreira 脗. 2022.听A Double-sided Conversation. In Das Bauhaus Verfehlen / Missing the Bauhaus: 192-207. Johannesburg/Bayreuth/Lagos: iwalewabooks.

Opper, A. 2021.听Open House. In Charlton, J, Cohen, L, Leyde, L, Mokgojwa, K, Nettleton, A and Rankin-Smith, F (Eds). In Seen, Heard and Valued: WAM celebrates 40 Years of the Standard Bank African Art Collection: 248-253. Wits Art Museum (WAM): Johannesburg.

Opper, A. 2021.听If Roads Could Talk. In Meuser, P and Dalbai, A (Eds). In Architectural Guide: Sub-Saharan Africa: 384-387. Berlin: Dom publishers.

Opper, A. 2019.听Breaking Johannesburg鈥檚 architectural fourth wall: An interrogation of three fa莽ade-conditions as interstitial sites of appearance, reality and possibility. In Silva, MT (Ed). Dramaturgias Do Real: 58-89. Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Impressoes de Minas.

Opper, A. 2017.听Introduction: 东京热. In Joubert, O鈥� (Ed). 10+ years 100 projects 鈥� Architecture in a democratic South Africa: 135-191. Cape Town: Bell-Roberts.

2015. 2015.About Time, (Or: Typological Transfers and the Case of Johannesburg鈥檚 Gas Works as an Evolution from Exploitative Industrial Machine, to No-man鈥檚 Land, to a Singular Chance to Realise an Inclusive Urban Future). In M. Lauferts, J. Mavunganidze (Eds). The Gas Works: 79-90. Johannesburg: Fourthwall Books.

Opper, A, with Kurgan, T & Bristow, T. 2015.听Public Art/Private Lives: The Making of 鈥楬otel Yeoville鈥�. In A.E. Coombes & R.B. Phillips (Eds). Museum Transformations (Volume 4 (of a 4-volume publication), Part 3 (Museum Experiments), Chapter 19): 439-470. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Opper, A, with Kurgan, T. 2015.听Hotel Yeoville: Reflections on the Advantages of Working Together. In K. Pinther, U.S. Nzewi and B. Fischer (Eds). New Spaces for Negotiating Art (And) History in Africa: 128-153. Berlin: LIT Verlag.

Opper, A. 2014.听Spaces of Archival Slippage and [鈥�] Things [鈥�] not necessarily Meant to be Viewed as Art. In A. Pauls. The Fabric of Matter. The Matter of Fabric. 1-16 (in booklet X). Stuttgart. Akademie Schloss Solitude.

Opper, A. 2014.听Recognising and Revealing the Public in the Photographic Constructions of Lard Buurman. In L. Buurman. Africa Junctions. Capturing the City: 206-212. Hatje Cantz. Ostfildern.

Opper, A. 2013. Ways of belonging. In B. Law-Viljoen (Ed.). Hotel Yeoville: 65-80. Johannesburg: Fourthwall Books.

Opper, A. 2012.听2010 reasons for living. In J. Gaylard (Ed.) 2010 reasons to live in a small town: 13-19. (in the 鈥楾EXTS鈥� component of the two-part publication). Johannesburg: VANSA.

Opper, A. 2011.听The Seduction of Collapse: Unfolding the Work of Maja Marx. In Maja Marx. Fold: 6-12. Cape Town. Whatiftheworld Gallery.

Papers

Opper, A. 2016.听Derri猫re les panneaux publicitaires/Behind the Billboards. In L. Farber and C. Jorgensen (Eds). Critical Addresses. The Archive-in-Practice: 111-122. Johannesburg: Jacana Media. (Paper published as chapter in conference proceedings, as book).

Opper. 2011.听(Not) Everything counts in large amounts: Dusty Realism and the productive 鈥榓rchive鈥� of the in between. (Paper presented at the 鈥楽ynthetic Dirt鈥� colloquium. Rhodes University, South Africa. 16-17 April 2011. Published on the conference proceedings website:听).

Opper, A. 2010.听Undoing Architecture. In On Making: Integrating Approaches to Practice-Led Research in Art and Design. (Ed. L. Farber). FADA, UJ. International colloquium held at FADA, UJ. 15-16 Oct 2009: 183-208. (Paper published as chapter in conference proceedings, as book).

Opper, A. 2010. Creating meaning in architecture and furniture design in a South African context: searching for interdisciplinary lessons between two disciplines. In Imaging

Ourselves: Visual Identities in Representation. (Ed. L. Farber). FADA, UJ. International conference held at FADA, UJ. 15 Jun 2009: 48-71. (Paper published as chapter in conference proceedings, as book).

Journal articles

Opper, A. 2014.听Separ(n)ation: A solo exhibition by Alexander Opper. In RESEARCH AS PRACTICE 鈥� Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, 东京热. Vol. 1: 22-25

Opper, A. 2014.听Separ(n)ation. In FADA Research Newsletter. Issue 17.

Opper, A. 2014.听Productive Leakage and the Folding of the Studio into the Field. A. Brillembourg, H. Klumpner (Eds). In SLUM Lab. Sustainable Living Urban Model. Made in Africa. Issue 9. 2014:听140-143.

Opper, A. 2014.听The 鈥楲ifeworlds鈥� of Marlboro South. In A. Graupner & L. Lynen (Eds). WELTSTADT: (In)formal Cities Johannesburg. 1^st听Edition.

Opper, A. 2014.听Strategies for Marlboro South鈥檚 Possible Future. In A. Graupner & L. Lynen (Eds). WELTSTADT: (In)formal Cities Johannesburg. 1^st听Edition.

Opper, A. 2012.听Productive 鈥楲eakage鈥� and the 鈥楩olding鈥� of the Studio into the Field. In FADA Research Newsletter. Issue 16: 4-8.

2012. Opper & 26鈥�10 south Architects (Eds). 2012.听Informal Studio: Marlboro South. Between and within processes of engagement. Feb 2012. Johannesburg, South Africa. Unique Issue:6-7.

Opper, A. 2012.听The 鈥楲ifeworlds鈥� of Marlboro South. In 26鈥�10 south Architects & A. Opper (Eds). Informal Studio: Marlboro South. Between and within processes of engagement. Feb 2012.

Johannesburg, South Africa. Unique Issue: 18.

Opper, A. 2012.听Stategies for Marlboro South鈥檚 Possible Future. In 26鈥�10 south Architects & A.

Opper (Eds). Informal Studio: Marlboro South. Between and within processes of engagement. Feb 2012. Johannesburg, South Africa. Unique Issue: 68-71.

Opper, A. 2012.听Letter from Johannesburg. In Some Magazine. Music. Issue #4. Autumn 2012: 21.

Opper, A. 2011.听Tables of Uncomfortable Contents: Reading between the Lines. In Art South Africa. Vol. 09. Issue 03. Autumn: 34-38.

Opper, A. 2011.听To design or not to design? (Emerging Architects: UrbanWorks Architecture and Urbanism). In Architecture South Africa. Jul-Aug: 26-28.

Opper, A. 2010.听The Art of being Public. In Art South Africa. 2010. Vol. 09. Issue 02. Summer: 44-49.

Opper, A. 2008.听Drawing by Kilometres. In Art South Africa. Vol. 06. Issue 04. Winter: 58-63.

Opper, A. 2008.听The Second International Conference on the Arts in Society. In FADA Research Newsletter. Dec 2007 & Jan 2008. Issue 9: 5.

Opper, A. 2008.听You are What You Wear: Alternative fa莽ade designs for an evolving Johannesburg landmark. In FADA Research Newsletter. Issue 11: 7-8.

Exhibition reviews

Opper, A. 2015.听Recovering a productive discourse on 鈥榩ublic art鈥�, memory and memorialisation in South Africa, via an un-covering of the societal currency inherent in Wim Botha鈥檚 studio听practice. In ArtThrob (online journal:听).

Opper, A. 2012.听The Limitations of the 鈥楬alf鈥� and the 鈥榃hole鈥�. In Art South Africa. Vol. 11. Issue 02. Summer: 14-15.

Opper, A. 2011.听Alexandra Ross. David Krut Projects, Johannesburg. In Art South Africa. Vol. 10. Issue 01. Spring: 75-76.

Opper, A. 2009.听Tegan Bristow 鈥� Substation Gallery, Johannesburg. In Art South Africa. Vol. 07. Issue 03. Summer: 100.

Opper, A. 2008.听MTN New Contemporaries. In Art South Africa. Vol. 07. Issue 01. Spring: 90-91.

Opper, A. 2008.听Pancho Guedes. In Art South Africa. Vol. 07. Issue 01. Spring: 94.

Opper, A. 2008.听Cities in Crisis. In Art South Africa. Vol. 06. Issue 04. Winter: 95.

Artist features

Opper, A. 2014.听Quinten Williams: Painterly Accumulations off the Wall. In Art south AFRICA. Vol. 13, Iss. 02, Dec.:听 71-72.

Opper, A. 2009.听Maja Marx: Patiently听calculated, conceptually applied. In Art South Africa. Vol. 08. Issue 02. Summer: 32-33.

Opper, A. 2008.听Mary Wafer. In A Look Away. Vol. 06. Issue 7: 110-11.

听Book & journal reviews

Opper, A. 2014.听Orlando West, Soweto: An Illustrated History听(Book review of book by Noor听Nieftagodien & Sally Gaule, 2012). In Safundi. The Journal of South African and American Studies. 15 2/3 (special issue on SA photography).

Opper, A. 2012.听Cityscapes. (Journal review of journal by The African Centre for Cities (ACC)). In Art South Africa. Vol. 11. Issue 01. Spring: 90-91.

Opper, A. 2009.听The Truth is there, Underground. (Book review of book by Clive Chipkin, 2009). In Art South Africa. Vol. 08. Issue 01. Spring: 50-53.

Building reviews

Opper, A. 2012.听The Art of Subtraction. In Art South Africa. Vol. 10. Issue 04. Winter: 14-15.

Opper, A. 2012.听Learning from Diepsloot: Taxi Rank No 2. In Architecture South Africa. Jul-Aug: 14-17.

Opper, A. 2010.听Willem Boshoff and Karel Nel 鈥� CIRCA on Jellicoe, Johannesburg. In Art South Africa. 2010. Vol. 08. Issue 03. Winter: 84-85.

Opper, A. 2009.听The Optical Centre. Two Recent Incarnations in Johannesburg听(Collaboration between Stanley Saitowitz / Natoma Architects & 26鈥�10 south Architects). In Architecture South Africa. May-Jun: 16-17.

Encyclopedia entries

Opper, A. 2023.听Uitvalgrond听(In: Industrial vernacular: Mining). In Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World 鈥� EVAW 鈥� Sub-Saharan Africa: (page nos. forthcoming). Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing. (forthcoming).

Newspaper articles

Opper, A. 2009.听Fall Wall confronts fear and paranoia of city users. In Mail & Guardian. November 6-12: 6.

Magazine articles

Opper, A. 2022.听Undesigning the World. In The Business Day鈥檚 supplement: Wanted Magazine (The 鈥楧esign鈥� Issue (July)): 18-19. Johannesburg: Arena Holdings.

Newsletters

Opper, A. 2023.听Alex Opper. In SAIA Newsletter (Osman, A. (Ed)). Issue 07, June/July 2023. (See:听).

Conference presentations

Alexander Opper.听Photo/graphing Stone: The lasting concretisation of politics and the politicisation of concrete in David Southwood鈥檚 photographs of Johannesburg water towers; The 36^th听Annual听SAVAH听Conference听(鈥�Romancing the Stone鈥�). Faculty of Arts & Design, Durban University of Technology,听Durban. 19-23 Sept听2022.

Alexander Opper.听Breaking Johannesburg鈥檚 Fourth Wall:听An interrogation of three fa莽ade-conditions as interstitial sites of appearance, reality and possibility; 鈥業nclusion and

Accessibility鈥� Conference. Kardinal-Wendel-Haus-Katholische Akademie,听惭眉苍颈肠丑. 27-29 May听2019.

Alexander Opper.听Undoing the Artist鈥檚 Book.听Booknesses Book Arts Colloquium: Taking Stock of the Book Arts in South Africa听(International colloquium at FADA, UJ).听Johannesburg. 23-26 March听2017.

Alexander Opper.听Derrie虁re les panneaux publicitaires听(Behind the Billboards).听Viaduct 2015 鈥� Archival Addresses: Photographies, Practices, Positionalities听(International platform at FADA (FADA Gallery), UJ).听Johannesburg. 18-20 March听2015.

Alexander Opper, Eric Wright and Philip Astley.听Studio Aformal Terrain (AT), Denver.听UIA (XXV Union of International Architects World Congress).听Durban. 3-7 Aug听2014.

Alexander Opper.听Separ(n)ation.听16^th听ACASA Triennial Symposium on African Art. Brooklyn Museum.听New York. 19-22 Mar听2014.

Alexander Opper.听Separ(n)ation.听Practice-Led Writing Workshop. UJ, FADA.听Johannesburg. 30-31 Jan听2014.

Alexander Opper.听Assessing pedagogical outcomes:听Some reflections on Productive 鈥楲eakage鈥� and the 鈥楩olding鈥� of the Studio into the Field.听URBAN LAB+.听The Laboratory approach to Built-Environment Education. Johannesburg Colloquium. Wits (School of Architecture and Planning),听Johannesburg. 21-22 Nov听2013.

Alexander Opper, Eric Wright.听Informal Studios: Ruimsig & Marlboro South.听National Department of Human Settlements & World Bank Institut: Workshop on Urban e-Learning. Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre,听Johannesburg. 3 & 4 Sept听2013.

Alexander Opper.听鈥楩olding鈥� the Studio into the Field:听Some Lessons learned and shared, between Johannesburg & S茫o Paulo.听IBSA Working Group on Human Settlements (IBSA WGHS). Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC),听Pretoria听(live simulcast between Pretoria / Cape Town / Durban). 23 May听2013.

Alexander Opper, with Anne Graupner (26鈥�10 south Architects).听Informal Studio: Marlboro South, Johannesburg, South Africa.听Baukulturwerkstat. Weltstadt-Stadtwelten. Deutschen Architektur Zentrum (DAZ).听Berlin, Germany. 29 Apr听2013.

Alexander Opper, Thiresh Govender & Monika Laeuferts.听Change Room (鈥楢rt and the Creative Industries鈥�): presentation on the possible future(s) of Johannesburg鈥檚 Gas Works.听Sustain our Africa Summit.听Cape Town. 24-26 Oct听2012.

Alexander Opper with Thorsten Deckler.听Informal Studio: Ruimsig 鈥� Unsettling the Status Quo.听AZA 2012 Conference.听Cape Town. 13-17 Sept听2012.
Alexander Opper with Thorsten Deckler.听Informal Studio: Ruimsig.听One-day Sub-Saharan Regional Conference, Goethe-Institut.听Johannesburg. 3 May听2012.

Alexander Opper with Thorsten Deckler.听Informal Studio Ruimsig.听African Perspectives,听Casablanca. Morocco. 3-5 Nov听2011.

Alexander Opper.听New Iwalewa听(presentation of design concept for the domicile of the听New听Iwalewa Haus).听Contact Zone 鈥� New Iwalewa.听Bayreuth, Germany. 28-29 Oct听2011.

Alexander Opper.听(Not) Everything counts in large amounts: Dusty Realism and the productive 鈥榓rchive鈥� of the in between.听Synthetic Dirt. Rhodes University.听Grahamstown. 16-17 Apr听2011.

Alexander Opper.听Landscapes and Trajectories of Displacement: Finding Place in Hotel Yeoville;听SAVAH Conference (Other Views: Art histories in (South) Africa and the Global South). Wits,听Johannesburg. 11-15 Jan听2011.

Alexander Opper.听Playing Ball: A Friendly Between Two Private Publics.听AZA Biennale 2010: Event + City (Reimagining Johannesburg).听Johannesburg. 22-24 Sept听2010.

Alexander Opper.听Undoing Architecture.听On Making: Integrating Approaches to Practice-Led Research in Art and Design. FADA, UJ. International colloquium.听Johannesburg. 15-16 Oct听2009.

Alexander Opper.听The Physical Relocation of Cultural Memory and the Political Dislocation of History through Architecture;听Johannesburg and Megacities Phenomena Conference.听Johannesburg. 9-11 Apr听2008.

Alexander Opper.听The Physical Relocation of Cultural Memory and the Political Dislocation of History through Architecture.听Second International Conference of the Arts in Society.听Kassel, Germany. 22-24 Aug听2007.

Community engagement

2021 onwards听听听听听听听听听听听

Design and realisation of a series of murals for the community of Westbury, a neighbouring marginalised community of the 东京热. Starting 2021, in collaboration with Shawn Constant (our community liaison partner) my 3^rd听year degree students have designed murals for carefully chosen sites in Westbury. This project, in the context of the subject Interdisciplinary Design & Presentation, is run on a competition basis, with the incentive of a winning mural design being realised. The project is supported with funding from UJ鈥檚 Teaching & Innovation Fund. It also has the support and blessing of the MMC Community Engagement of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).

听2018听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Design/Build project in Kanana Park听(a remote settlement not far from Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg). In 2018 I facilitated the possibility for a group of 30 3rd-year architecture students from UJ鈥檚 Department of Architecture (DoA) being tasked with designing, documenting and ultimately building a soup kitchen in Kanana Park. Run voluntarily by Sibongile Msenge, a local community leader, the completed soup kitchen serves 150 meals a day to children and needy members of the community.听Via UJ sessional staff member, Vedhant Maharaj (director of Rebel Base Collective), a link was established between the DoA and Sibongile.听The final student design was then 鈥� in close discussion with Sibongile 鈥� refined and developed into a set of detailed working drawings. These served as the basis for the realisation of the project on site. The students were involved in the construction process, under the guidance of their construction lecturers and Vedhant Maharaj (see:听).

听2016听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Design and realisation of a playground in the village of Chimpamba, Malawi, with four 3^rd听year UJ architecture students.

听2014-15听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Studio Aformal Terrain: Denver. Johannesburg. A collaborative and participative community-driven informal-settlement-upgrading project.

听2013-14听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Revolution Room. Cosmo City. Johannesburg.听I was involved in the initial stage of this project, involving the intensive mapping of Cosmo City听(leading the process together with artist Vaughn Sadie and working with young architecture students from UJ and local youth). We developed a conceptual and experiential map of the area and produced a cartographic record of local networks, structures and individuals. This was used to develop sites for future public art projects. For more detailed information, see here:听. (In听2014听I was invited to sit on a selection panel to select of several artist鈥檚 proposals for public spaces in Cosmo City. See project results here:听).

听2012-14听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Informal Studio: Marlboro South. Johannesburg. The success of the Informal Studio Ruimsig paved the way for this collaborative and participative community-driven informal-settlement-upgrading project. The project was designed to ensure a reasonable chance of positive changes in standards of living within the precarious and marginalised community of Marlboro South.

听2011

Informal Studio: Ruimsig. Johannesburg. A pilot-project I initiated and collaboratively ran with 26鈥�10 south Architects and 16 UJ architecture master鈥檚 students. It comprised a collaborative and participative community-driven informal-settlement-upgrading effort which resulted in the positive buy-in of the City of Johannesburg and its declaration of Ruimsig as an 鈥榚xperimental zone鈥�.

2011 & 2012听听听听听听听听听听听听

In both years,听Re-educating the City听served as an opportunity for architecture masters students to learn from the intelligences and dynamics of Johannesburg鈥檚 low-fee inner city private schools. This research led to the imagining of possibilities for new schooling models in dense urban centres. Both iterations of the project resulted a large-scale听public exhibition听each, held in Braamfontein, one of the inner-city contexts that informed the design proposals put forward by students.

2011

For the project听Johannesburg SNWE: Back Doors to the City听conceptualised for the marginalised suburb of Westbury, Johannesburg, my students worked with leaders and youth from the community, via the TAG (Together Action Group) and the architectural practice, Local Studio. The project focussed on the careful mapping of the suburb鈥檚 history, built fabric and narrative layers, towards a better understanding around improving the quality of its public spaces and its restricted connections to the rest of the city.

2009-2010听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

In collaboration with UJ鈥檚 Division of Institutional Advancement several my 3^rd听year architecture students travelled to Manica, Mozambique during the midyear break. For the听Grupo deSportivo de Manica football club听they assisted in the听design and construction of a clubhouse. This initiative developed off the back of an earlier 3^rd听year studio project for the design of a school and football-related infrastructure for the town.

Achievements & Awards

听2023

Achievement of a C-2 rating by the SA National Research Foundation (NRF), valid for the period 2023-2028.

2022

Ampersand Fellowship听residency,听New York City, July 2022.

2022

Securing of a Teaching Innovation Grant听for a Community Engagement project. (Two public art murals for the community of Westbury, Johannesburg).

2019听听

Recognition for Creative Research Output: The large-scale installation of my artist鈥檚 book,听Burning Issues听(part of the 2017听Booknesses听exhibition in the UJ FADA Gallery) gained recognition as creative research and was awarded one full research unit.

2016听听

Achievement of a C-2 rating by the SA National Research Foundation (NRF), valid for the period 2017-2022.

2015听听

Recognition for Creative Research Output: The project听Separ(n)ation听(my 2013 solo exhibition at Goethe on Main) gained recognition as creative research and was awarded four creative research units.

2014

Securing of a Teaching Innovation Grant听for planned 2014 Community Engagement project (Studio Aformal Terrain听(AT), Denver).

2011-12

Invited for a听two-month guest professorship at Iwalewa Haus, Bayreuth, Germany, Dec 2011-Jan 2012.

2010听听

Recognition for Creative Research Outputs:

The cumulative submission was awarded with a total of 5 creative research units. The projects submitted were as follows:听Accumulation #1 and #2听(artwork/exhibition);听The Nature of a Corner听(artwork/exhibition);听(In)security听(artwork/exhibition);听Auseinandersetzung听(artwork/exhibition);听Negotiation听(artwork/exhibition);听Hotel Yeoville听(exhibition design);听2009 Johannesburg Art Fair鈥檚 Books Space听(furniture & exhibition design);听Goethe-Institut Johannesburg, Cracking Walls听(Redesign of the landscape around the institute as accessible public space).