Doreen Southwood

Doreen Southwood (born 1974) is a South African artist, designer, and boutique owner based in Cape Town. She works in a wide variety of media in her artwork, producing sculptures, objects, prints, film, and more, which she often bases on personal experiences and self exploration.^[1] Her candidness regarding personal flaws and the cycles of repression and coping that accompany conservative, middle class, Afrikaans upbringing inform much of her work, calling attention to ways in which women are silenced or otherwise repressed in that space.^[2]

In 2003, Southwood was named the overall winner of the Brett Kebble Art Awards for her painted bronze sculpture, "The Swimmer." The sculpture featured a young woman gazing blankly ahead as she stands on the end of a diving board. For this award, Southwood received R100,000, at that time the largest award for a single artwork in South African history.^[3]

Her work has been exhibited in Senegal, Cuba, New York City, and across South Africa.^[1]

In 2001 she opened a shop in Cape Town called Mememe, which seeks to make the work of African fashion designers available to the public.^{[4][non-primary source needed]} Another Mememe shop opened in Johannesburg in 2011.^[5] Southwood's own designs have been featured in fashion weeks in Johannesburg and Cape Town ^[1] and are known for embodying features of the feminine and nostalgic.^{[6][non-primary source needed]}