Bird Street Gallery, Nelson Mandela University

Wonderful gallery space situated in the Nelson Mandela University's Bird Street Campus, Gqeberha Now, the campus has been repurposed as an Arts Hub.

The School of Visual & Performing Arts' roots can be traced back to the Port Elizabeth Art School which first opened its doors in 1882 – making it the oldest surviving school of arts in the country. The original PE Art School was housed in the historical Athenaeum Building in Belmont Terrace. Many decades later in the 1950’s, when the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University) wa

18/03/2026

Kylie van der Merwe’s (.art) Substratum shifts our gaze beyond the veil, literally and digitally. By pairing microscopic geological samples from our local landscape with historical artworks from the museum’s digital archive, Kylie draws parallels between rock layers and digital data layers. Her project reminds us that archives compress, fragment, and sometimes disappear entirely.

Come to to view her work along with 4 other Master in Visual Arts candidates at the MAVA Group Exhibition, closing Friday 27 March, don't miss out!

Photos from Bird Street Gallery, Nelson Mandela University's post

24/02/2026

A wonderful turnout for our first exhibition of the year!! The MAVA - Masters in Visual Arts Group Exhibition opened last Wednesday 18 Feb

Celebrating the exhibitions of 6 recent Masters students in the Department of Visual Arts 🎉

Thanks for capturing the energy of the evening!

The exhibition will be up until the 27th of March, available to view weekdays 9am - 4pm

mandelauni

10/02/2026

The Department of Visual Art in the Faculty of Humanities invites you to attend the

MAVA Group Exhibition
an exhibition showcasing the creative work of recent candidates from the Master of Arts in Visual Arts programme

Wednesday 18 February 2026
17h30 for 18h00

Bird Street Gallery
20 Bird Street, Central, Gqeberha

Danica Ridgway
Beatrice van Wyk
Kylie van der Merwe
Sarah van Rooyen
Raquel Adriaan

Daily Viewing
19 February - 27 March 2026
09h00 - 16h00, Mon - Fri

*MA candidate Taryn Jade's exhibition SUM NIL is presented off-site at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum
Open for viewing: 9 Feb - 18 May
Mon-Fri 9:00 - 16:30, Sat 0:00 - 13:00

More information:
[email protected]
visualarts.mandela.ac.za

10/02/2026

The Department of Visual Art in the Faculty of Humanities invites you to attend the

MAVA Group Exhibition MAVA - Masters in Visual Arts Group Exhibition Opening
an exhibition showcasing the creative work of recent candidates from the Master of Arts in Visual Arts programme

Wednesday 18 February 2026
17h30 for 18h00

Bird Street Gallery
20 Bird Street, Central, Gqeberha

Danica Ridgway
Beatrice van Wyk
Kylie van der Merwe
Sarah van Rooyen
Raquel Adriaan

Daily Viewing
19 February - 27 March 2026
09h00 - 16h00, Mon - Fri

*MA candidate Taryn Jade's exhibition SUM NIL is presented off-site at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum
Open for viewing: 9 Feb - 18 May
Mon-Fri 9:00 - 16:30, Sat 0:00 - 13:00

Visual Arts at Nelson Mandela University
Faculty of Humanities at Nelson Mandela University
Nelson Mandela University

More information:
[email protected]
visualarts.mandela.ac.za

21/11/2025

Please note that the Bird Street Gallery will be closed today 21 Nov 2025 in solidarity with the Nationwide G20 Women's Shutdown

We will be open again from Monday 24 Nov

10/11/2025

The Department of Visual Arts in the Faculty of Humanities invites you to the opening of

GRADEX HONOURS 2025

"GRADEX HONOURS 2025" Exhibition Opening at Bird Street Gallery

An exhibition of creative work by Honours students of the Department of Visual Arts, School of Visual and Performing Arts.

Fine Arts
Photography
Fashion & Textiles

Opening
Friday 14 November 2025
17h30 for 18h00

Bird Street Gallery
20 Bird Street, Central, GQ

Nelson Mandela University
Faculty of Humanities at Nelson Mandela University
Visual Arts at Nelson Mandela University

open to view:
17 - 27 November 2025
09h00 for 16h00

More information:
[email protected]
visualarts.mandela.ac.za

04/10/2025

A wonderful turnout this morning at the Exhibition Walkabout 💫

Thank you to all those that came out to support and the artists present for speaking about your work and process.

Final day of the exhibition is Wed 8 Oct, and then the 3rd Year opens Fri 17 Oct.

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Location

Port Elizabeth

Contact the school

Click here to send a message to the school

Telephone

+27415043293

Website

http://birdstreetgallery.mandela.ac.za/

Address

20 Bird Street, Central
Port Elizabeth
6006

Opening Hours

Monday	09:30 - 15:30
Tuesday	09:30 - 15:30
Wednesday	09:30 - 15:30
Thursday	09:30 - 15:30
Friday	09:30 - 15:30