If only I liked you a little bit more and you liked me a little less - curated by Francesco Ozzola

About

Ed Young (b.1978) lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. Spanning almost twenty years, Young’s cross-disciplinary practice can broadly be defined as conceptual and ranges from painting, sculpture, and installation to video, performance, and writing.

His work is characterized by its provocative nature, straddling the line between the intelligent and witty and the disturbing and offensive. His controversial style is a distinctive trademark of his practice.

Recent solo projects include CALL YOUR MOTHER (2022), a large-scale public art project in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE (2020) at Blank Projects, Cape Town, HERO (2019) at Open 24hrs, Cape Town, BAD GALLERIST (2018) and CASH OR CARD (2017) at SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, and Johannesburg respectively. He has presented special solo projects at the Armory Show in New York (ALL SO FUCKING AFRICAN, 2016) and at the Cape Town Art Fair (Bad Taste, 2019). His work has been featured in local and international group exhibitions. In 2018 and 2019 respectively, Young participated in the INDEX: Freiraum-Stipendium and 25 Hours Hotel residencies in Zürich.

He represented various private and public collections, including the Iziko South African National Gallery (Cape Town), Ilham Gallery (Kuala Lumpur), 21C Museum (Louisville), Fondazione Imago Mundi (Treviso), Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art (South Africa), NO SHOW MUSEUM (Zurich) and A4 Arts Foundation (Cape Town).

Born in Welkom, South Africa, Young received his MFA from the University of Cape Town in 2005, where he is currently pursuing a PhD in Medical Microbiology.