About

Gavin Krastin has always straddled theatre and dance with work that is full of beauty, but not always easy to stomach. – City Press

There’s nothing polite or subtle about performance artist Gavin Krastin‘s work. His interests lie in the permeability and politics of boundaries – of the body and how it is represented, of theatre conventions, gender, and space – within the larger South African socio-political context. Rather than using performance as a means of escaping the politics of the body, Gavin uses it as a way to occupy and subvert, and challenge notions of presentation and representation. – Indie Channel

Gavin Krastin is a South African performance artist, educator and curator working at the intersection of live art, interdisciplinary performance and site-responsive practices. He holds of Master of Arts degree in Performance Studies and his work explores the body’s presence, representation and agency in alternative, layered spaces, often unsettling traditional notions of performance and spectatorship. Central to his practice is an ongoing inquiry into the politics of space, presentation and the body’s performative and transformative potential within shifting socio-political, cultural and environmental contexts.

Gavin has created dozens of original performance commissions, was a Theaterformen Fellow in 2016 (Braunschweig, Germany), a two-time awardee of Pro Helvetia Residencies (Embassy for Foreign Artists Geneva in 2018, and the University of Arts Bern and Muzeum Susch in 2022, Switzerland), and in 2019 formed part of a group exhibition that represented South Africa at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Czech Republic. In 2021 he received the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Performance Art and in 2023 received the Best Curator Award at the annual Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Awards Ceremony (Department of Sports, Arts and Culture). Also in 2023, the Presidency’s Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities honoured him with the Forty under 40 Award, which celebrate a cross-section of the nation’s most influential and accomplished young leaders.

His artistic research hinges on an interest in queering spaces and subverting spatial hierarchies. By activating non-traditional venues and found sites, he interrogates how bodies behave, transgress and disrupt spaces that seek to govern or regulate them. He aims to reveal the layered politics embedded in environments and challenge the expectations and comfort of audiences through site-specific, durational and intimate encounters. He is particularly drawn to alternative or “awkward” spaces that hold histories of power, exclusion and control – contexts where the body, in its presence and performance, becomes a conduit for critique, resistance and reinvention.

A recurring theme in his work is the interplay between the corporeal and the material, examining the body in relation to its surrounding environments, objects and systems. He views the body as a site of inquiry – a malleable, performative entity capable of transformation and subversion. Gavin’s performances often navigate a tension between vulnerability and endurance, strength and fragility, creating a physical and emotional resonance for both the performer and audience.

In terms of method, he adopts an interdisciplinary approach that integrates visual, theatrical and durational art practices. He embraces a process-driven ethos, allowing ideas and forms to emerge organically in response to site, material and context. Collaborations with artists, curators and technicians are central to his process, creating a space for dialogue and experimentation.

Beyond performance-making, Gavin is committed to nurturing the broader field of live art in South Africa. As the founder of the Live Art Arcade, a nomadic exhibition platform for early- and mid-career artists, he assists in providing space, visibility and support for new site-responsive and durational works. He regards this curatorial work as an extension of his practice – a way to challenge conventional art spaces, support emerging artists and foster meaningful engagement with live art among diverse audiences.

At its core, Gavin’s practice is a form of embodied research. He seeks to question norms, unsettle assumptions and imagine new possibilities for bodies, spaces and materials. Whether through intimate performance, harsh materiality or ephemeral durational work, he provokes critical reflection, affective resonance and a heightened awareness of the complexities of being in the world today.