Levy Pooe

Levy Pooe (b. 1994, South Africa) is a visual artist whose practice explores the intersections of the personal and the political through painting, drawing, and collage. Born during South Africa’s transition to democracy, Pooe reflects on the textures of daily life and the rhythms of urban existence, capturing figures in moments of reflection, ritual, and repetition. His figurative forms often dissolve into abstraction, using line, gesture, and erasure as a language of memory and social engagement. Through layering and cutting, his work operates as a visual diary, documenting histories while reimagining presence.

In 2020, Pooe received the Cassirer Welz Award in partnership with Strauss & Co Auctioneers, which led to his debut solo exhibition Mphe Mphe ya lapisa, Motho o kgonwa ke sa gagwe at the Bag Factory Artist Studios. His recent solo presentation Se Segolo ke Bophelo featured at FNB Art Joburg 2025, and his work entered the J.P. Morgan Chase Art Collection in 2023. Selected group exhibitions include Fabrics of Freedom (District Six Museum), Bag Factory 30 Years Anniversary Exhibition (UJ FADA), Towards New Frontiers (FNB Joburg Open City), Motions and Motives (Dalro Gallery), Nostalgia and Place (Origin Art gallery) and more.

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Beyond the studio, Pooe's public facing projects include murals at Kitcheners (Braamfontein), Blackbrick Sandton, and the Bag Factory Artist Studios. His collaborative and research driven work extends to publications such as Nokuthela Mdima (2021). He has undertaken international residencies at Kafart, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria (2024), and the Akoje Residency, Dumfries House, Scotland, UK (2025)

Pooe's work traces the tension between erasure and presence, offering renewed ways of seeing the body, the city, and the shared stories that shape contemporary South African life.