Pierre Vermeulen was born in 1992 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and currently lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2015 and a Masters in Visual Arts in 2021 from the University of Stellenbosch.

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Pierre Vermeulen’s practice is rooted in the embodied rituals of meditation. His works are characterised by his use of imitation gold leaf on Belgian linen and sweat for its corrosive relationship – using orchids woven from human hair, Vermeulen has developed a technique to create oxidised imprints on the surface of the gold leaf. The unconventional materials used by Vermeulen challenges the boundaries between painting, installation and alchemy, inviting us to reconsider our relationship with these mediums.

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In 2023, Vermeulen presented Formats for Transition, a solo exhibition with RESERVOIR in Cape Town. Further solo exhibitions include Thoughts Think Themselves, as part of his Masters presentation at SMAC Gallery in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2021; Of itself, at SMAC Gallery in Johannesburg (2018); Pierre Vermeulen, at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town; and Sweat Prints, a site-specific installation at the Association for the Visual Arts (AVA) Gallery, both in 2017.

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Selected group exhibitions include Of their time (7), A look at private collections at the museum Frac Grand Large, Dunkerque, France and Oh So Quiet at Whatiftheworld Gallery in Cape Town, both in 2023; Matereality, a group exhibition at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, and A Show of Solidarity at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town, in support of the South African Solidarity Fund during a nationwide enforced lockdown, both in 2020; Forward! Forward? Forward..., at the Stellenbosch University Museum in Stellenbosch (2019); Folly at SMITH in Cape Town (2017); and Restore at the Gallery University Stellenbosch (GUS) in Stellenbosch (2016).

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In 2018, Vermeulen presented a solo booth at Artissima in Turin, Italy and between 2018 and 2024 his works have been included in group presentations at various editions of Artissima, Art Brussels, Miart, Art Cologne, Art Abu Dhabi, Contemporary Istanbul, FNB Art Joburg and the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (both in South Africa).

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Vermeulen’s work was recently selected for the prestigious Pinakothek der Moderne PIN. Benefit Auction.