Cape Town-based artist and cultural activist Jill Trappler was in studio on The Business of Entertainment on Cape Talk on what is, officially our 200th podcast of On the Couch.
With a career spanning more than three decades, Trappler is celebrated not only for her paintings and solo exhibitions but also for her groundbreaking contributions to South Africa’s arts community.
As a painter, she explores texture, mark-making, and colour with a sensitivity informed by her background as a weaver and spinner. Her work, shown nationally and internationally, reflects her immersion in both South Africa’s complex social landscape and its natural environments.
Trappler has been at the heart of transformative creative initiatives since the 1980s. She co-founded Thupelo and Greatmore Studios, was a key member of the Bag Factory in Johannesburg, and has served on the boards of the AVA Gallery and the National Arts Council.
Deeply committed to community upliftment, she established the Philani Weaving Project and Intle Cooperative in Khayelitsha and Philippi, while also nurturing creative healing through the Valkenberg Art Studio initiative.
Her projects are grounded in an ethos of collaboration and skill-sharing, creating spaces where art becomes a tool for empowerment, confidence building, and social cohesion.
Known for her patience and ability to work across languages and generations, Trappler has helped cultivate employment opportunities and creative development throughout the Cape Peninsula.
From the Drakensberg mountains to Johannesburg’s cultural ferment of the 1970s, and Cape Town’s dynamic arts scene today, Trappler’s journey has shaped a practice rooted in interaction, education, and creative exchange.