Emirates Man

In a city shaped by heat, ambition, and constant reinvention, Werner Bronkhorst’s newest body of work feels right at home. Premiering in Dubai for the first time, CRACK is the South African artist’s latest series exploring surfaces under pressure — cracked deserts, clay courts, salt flats, and imagined terrains that sit somewhere between reality and memory. Known globally for his richly textured paintings and emotionally charged sense of movement, Bronkhorst arrives in the UAE with a collection that feels both grounded in the physical world and deeply personal. Running for a limited time only, the exhibition is open this weekend, giving Dubai’s art community a rare opportunity to experience CRACK in person before it moves on.

We sat down with Bronkhorst ahead of the opening to speak about Dubai as a debut location, his creative evolution, the role of openness in his practice, and the piece that defines this new chapter.

“Dubai felt like the natural place to debut CRACK. The city rethinks old norms with an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of momentum that I strongly relate to and aspire to within my own work. As this collection explores heat, sand, and surfaces under pressure, Dubai’s environment and surrounding desert landscape resonate deeply with the themes of the exhibition.”

2026 is the Year of the Horse, a symbol of movement, freedom, and strength. Does that sense of momentum show up in your creative journey as you debut in a new region?

Movement has always been central to my work, both visually and conceptually. Many of my paintings explore motion through sport, travel, and figures moving across vast landscapes. Debuting CRACK in a new region feels like part of that same momentum. This exhibition marks the beginning of a new chapter in my career. As my projects grow in scale and ambition, I feel encouraged to keep moving forward and exploring where this journey can lead next.

You’ve been incredibly transparent about your process, sharing videos of your material experimentation online and building a global audience. How important is this openness to your creative identity?

Art doesn’t exist in isolation; it lives through people and their enjoyment. In sharing the process, and the mess and mistakes that come with it, I’m inviting others into the journey instead of only showing the finished destination.

I feel that honesty creates a real connection. People don’t just see the artwork, they can feel part of it. It breaks down the idea that art only exists as a finished piece behind gallery walls, and instead shows that the process of getting there can be art too.

Alongside your textured paintings, you also create bold charcoal drawings of cars layered with text, which you call ‘anti-art.’ What does that allow you to express?

Working in different styles allows me to be fast and raw. Calling it ‘anti-art’ is my way of removing pressure. It lets me speak freely, almost like visual journaling, in a way that my textured works — which are more layered and physical — don’t always allow.

It brings me back to why I started: experimenting, playing, painting on every surface I could find. That freedom keeps the work alive.

You’ve spoken before about how fatherhood shifted your perspective. How has that influenced your work?

Through my children’s eyes, everything feels bigger, purer, and sometimes more alive. Simple moments carry so much weight, and that sense of wonder has found its way into my work. I think my work will continue to explore that balance between innocence and reality, and what living in this big, beautiful world means because that’s what fatherhood constantly teaches me.

Which work from CRACK feels most significant to you?

The Pilgrimage is the most important piece in the collection for me. It’s my largest and most complex painting to date — seven canvases joined together to form one continuous image.

It depicts a long, purposeful journey across a desert landscape and is partly autobiographical. The scale and technical challenge pushed me to my limits. Completing it showed me that there are no limits to the scale or complexity I can attempt. It’s a defining piece within CRACK.

Werner Bronkhorst’s CRACK is now open in Dubai for a limited showcase this weekend until the 18th of January at Concrete, AlSerkal Avenue. 

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Images & Feature Image: Supplied