If you’re staying in Cape Town this spring, you won’t have to step into a gallery to encounter contemporary South African art.
The President Hotel, in collaboration with non-profit organisation Art School Africa, has welcomed artist Zarah Cassim as the latest participant in In Residence, an ongoing exhibition series that brings the work of Cape Town artists into the hotel’s everyday spaces.
Running from 1 September 2026 through 11 January 2027, the exhibition transforms the hotel’s public spaces into an immersive gallery, inviting travellers, locals, and art lovers alike to encounter Cassim’s evocative exploration of landscape, memory, and perception as part of their daily routine.
Landscapes of the mind
Working primarily in rich, textured layers of oil paint, Cassim creates ethereal landscapes that hover delicately between the familiar and the surreal. In her hands, natural forms blur, dissolve, and reappear. Shifts in colour, light, and gesture generate a palpable sense of movement, capturing the ephemeral boundary between what is real and what is imagined.
The selected works span oils on canvas, board, and Fabriano paper. Pieces range from the expansive canvas The Dance I to more intimate works such as Sherbet, Berry, and Bleed. Together, they chart a visual journey from soft, pastel blushes to deep, earthy foliage, all enveloped in a shifting haze that feels both deeply intimate and wonderfully elusive.
For Cassim, whose background includes an Honours in Fine Art from the University of Cape Town (2014), painting is a deeply intuitive act.
“My painting and brushwork are instinctive and closely connected to my state of mind,” Cassim shares. “At times it is bold, loose and expansive; at others, more tentative and detailed. Through this intuitive process, I explore my longstanding interest in perception and the idea that reality exists in multiple layers.”
Her works lean into the way places linger in our consciousness long after their physical details begin to fade. By intertwining memory and illusion, she invites viewers into a state of transition where uncertainty opens up space for new ways of seeing.
“I am interested in that thin and shifting line between reality and illusion, how what appears dreamlike to one person may, through another perception, be entirely real,” she adds.
A shared commitment to accessible art
Beyond her prolific local and international exhibition history, with shows spanning Australia, Spain, and France, Cassim is deeply invested in community and arts education. In 2021, she co-founded Hotel Hernandez Art School, a peer-to-peer art program for emerging and established artists, later curating its landmark graduate exhibition at the Iziko South African National Gallery.
Her ethos aligns seamlessly with In Residence’s mission. Presented by The President Hotel in partnership with local non-profit organisation Art School Africa, the ongoing series is designed to break down the barriers of traditional gallery spaces. By embedding contemporary works into the daily rhythms of a bustling hotel, the initiative champions local creativity, making art approachable while giving artists powerful platforms to build visibility and connect with diverse new audiences.
Plan your visit
Whether you are checking in for a seaside getaway or dropping by for coffee and a cultural detour, In Residence: Zarah Cassim offers a breathtaking moment of pause.
- Where: The President Hotel, Bantry Bay, Cape Town
- When: 1 September 2026 – 11 January 2027
- Cost: Open to the public and hotel guests alike
