While the Northern Hemisphere celebrates the hot summer season, South Africa is entering a winter season, which is, however, expected to be no less exciting. Nel, a Cape Town-based gallery, opens the season with a new, unusual event – the Dog Show. As the gallery’s curators confide, the exhibition has been conceived since the very moment of Nel’s opening, but the schedule was too tight to give it enough space and time. This African winter finally offered a spot for the anticipated Dog Show at Nel, which opened its doors on June 5, 2025.
Mary Holland, Yvonne, 30x23cm, oil on canvas, 2014
The good part about the 2025 Dog Show is that literally anyone can apply for a spot in the exhibition. Nel welcomes every kind of art that pays tribute to the unique role dogs play in their owners’ lives and invites all artists to submit photos, paintings, sketches, and sculptures of dogs for display.
Katherine Bull, Reclining Dog #23, 40x50cm, oil on canvas, 2024
The grand opening of the Dog Show was today, June 5, with dog owners visiting the event with their inspirational canine friends in person. The show’s concept, though a bit provocative in terms of traditional dog shows, presupposes that every dog will be a winner, getting multiple rosettes regardless of its correspondence to the classical aesthetic standards and purity of its breed. The only parameters it should meet include a happy disposition, shiny eyes, a wagging tail, and a solid degree of poolside etiquette. Thus, the show is a real celebration of the dog’s big heart, devotion to its owner, and endless love it is ready to give to its life companion.
Cheryl Traub-Adler, Mitsy, 40x50cm, oil on board, 2025
So, what will visitors see at the Dog Show at Nel this winter season? Apart from amateur art of all kinds, the gallery will feature art objects by well-established artists who have dedicated some of their works to dogs. The show particularly features Luan Nel’s 2002 painting of his beloved dog Morris (featured image), Mary Holland’s oil on canvas featuring Yvonne, and Giacomo Balla’s well-known painting “Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash” (1912).
Anton Karstel, Yvonne, 40x30cm, oil on canvas, 2025
Other art objects you can see at the gallery include works by Anton Karstel, Cheryl Traub-Adler, Katherine Bull, and other talented artists inspired by dogs. Interestingly, the show is planned to be malleable, meaning that new art objects will be added in its progress. The exhibition will be on display at Nel until the end of July.
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