Fourie Ackermann is a South African mural and scenic artist whose work transforms spaces into storytelling landscapes. Raised on a farm near Hoedspruit, his early connection to land, wildlife, and open skies continues to shape the subject matter and spirit of his art.
His professional career began in the performing arts, working as a scenic artist for PACT, before expanding into the film industry. Over the years, Fourie has contributed his skills to major productions, including Blood Diamond, where his ability to work at scale and under pressure became second nature.
In 2015, Fourie relocated to Friemersheim in the Garden Route — a move that would quietly change both his practice and the community around him. During the COVID lockdown, he began painting wildlife murals on local homes, turning the village into an open-air gallery. Zebras, buffalo, elephants, and other iconic animals emerged across walls, bringing colour, pride, and renewed visibility to the area. His work soon attracted national attention and was featured on Kwêla.
Fourie’s distinctive style and impact have been recognised at the highest level. He was commissioned by President Cyril Ramaphosa to paint Nguni cattle for a conference centre as well as for the President’s personal art collection — a significant acknowledgment of his contribution to South African visual culture.
As part of Revive Willowmore’s first town upliftment project, Fourie painted Willowmore’s first mural: a striking kudu set against the backdrop of Aasvoëlberg. The mural marks the beginning of Willowmore’s Art Tour and reflects Fourie’s ability to honour place, landscape, and local identity through large-scale public art.
Fourie Ackermann’s work is rooted in skill, storytelling, and deep respect for the environments and communities he paints — leaving behind not just murals, but lasting points of connection.
Mook Lion is a contemporary mural and street artist currently based in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape, working on projects across South Africa. He holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from the Durban University of Technology, completed between 2014 and 2017, where his research focused on street and mural art as a form of visual activism within the urban landscape of Durban.
His practice-based research explored the creation of site-specific, socially conscious artwork in public spaces. This work was informed by a combination of theoretical and historical research, alongside direct engagement with the public through interviews and lived interaction with the environments in which he worked. These layers of inquiry continue to shape his approach to art-making today.
Mook Lion’s commitment to public art emerged through his early involvement in Durban’s Hip Hop culture in the mid-2000s, with a particular focus on graffiti. This cultural grounding fostered a deep interest in public space — not just as a backdrop, but as an active site of dialogue, expression, and resistance. Through his formal studies at Durban University of Technology, he began merging academic fine art with graffiti practices, forming the foundation of his distinctive visual language.
Today, Mook Lion often works collaboratively with experienced artists, students, and community members, creating artworks that serve a social and cultural function. His murals aim to beautify and repurpose neglected spaces while engaging the public around issues of social justice, environmental awareness, and the preservation of nature. Alongside community-based work, he regularly produces commissioned murals for private clients, corporate entities, and film production companies.
Mook Lion’s work stands at the intersection of activism, collaboration, and place-based storytelling — using public art as a tool for connection, reflection, and change.
Instagram: @mook_lion
Website: mooklion.com
Born in Kenya, Annette Schoeman is a multidisciplinary artist whose creative life spans more than four decades. Her journey into the visual arts began in 1980 when she studied at the Johannesburg Technicon, laying a strong foundation in both technical skill and creative exploration.
Annette’s career has moved fluidly between fine art, commercial design, and large-scale public work. She has worked as a layout artist for Perskor, and as an engraver in steel and lead at the Geo Matthew Die Stamping Company — experiences that sharpened her precision, attention to detail, and respect for craftsmanship.
Alongside her professional practice, Annette has been teaching art for the past 40 years, nurturing creativity and confidence in countless students. Her artworks have appeared in many forms and settings: reproduced as puzzle art, created in collaboration with interior designers for private and public spaces, and painted as theatrical backdrops for stage productions.
Annette has also been commissioned for numerous murals, where her ability to work at scale and respond to place, story, and community comes to the fore. While her visual work speaks strongly on its own, she is also an acclaimed musician, songwriter, and performer — a creative thread that subtly informs her sense of rhythm, movement, and emotion in her art.
At the heart of it all is her studio — her happy place — where decades of experience, curiosity, and joy in the creative process continue to shape a body of work that is both versatile and deeply personal.
