IN CONVERSATION WITH JAMES DELANEY: Johannesburg-Based Multidisciplinary Artist
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Meet James Delaney, a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary artist and one of
the champions of Jozi My Jozi’s Babize Bonke campaign (“let them all come” in
10:10
isiZulu), which invites people to experience the revival of the city through the
eyes of its creative citizens.
Delaney works from his studio at Victoria Yards in Lorentzville, on the eastern
edge of Johannesburg’s CBD—a fabulous double-volume, light-filled space that
showcases his artworks, including metal sculptures, photographs, prints,
lithography, and charcoal drawings. Guarded by his faithful golden labrador,
Pablo, who has long been part of Delaney’s artistic journey, the studio reflects
both the scope of his practice and the playful spirit that informs it.
Delaney is a multidisciplinary artist whose current focus is sculpture and art as a
tool for place-making. Standing at the intersection of art and landscape, his
works explore how the spaces we inhabit—city streets, wild spaces, or man-
made parks—affect and are affected by our presence. Over the past two
decades, his work has been exhibited globally, earning accolades from Business
and Arts South Africa and the South African Institute of Architects for his public
art installations.
In Johannesburg, he is most renowned for restoring The Wilds, a once-
neglected 16-hectare park on the edge of downtown. Previously abandoned
and unsafe, The Wilds now features indigenous gardens, water channels,
towering trees, and Delaney’s 62 simple yet striking sculptures. “What started
as a hobby of trimming the trees and clipping overgrown plants became a
rejuvenation project,” he says. Inspired by the restoration of Central Park in
New York, Delaney sought to create a space that invited people to become the
positive eyes and ears of the park.
Beyond aesthetics, Delaney designed spaces for people to sit, pause, and
reflect, encouraging mental rejuvenation and community connection. Today,
the park is a safe haven, frequented predominantly by women, walkers,
picnickers, romancers, and selfie-takers on weekends.
His urban interventions extend beyond The Wilds. Delaney served as landscape
designer for Indwe Park in Braamfontein, a landmark that sits atop the
watershed dividing the Limpopo and Orange rivers. He has also contributed to
the renovation of Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth bridges,
overseeing the installation of benches on the Mandela Bridge for reflection,
reading, or simply enjoying the view. His latest public artworks include elegant
white metal zebras and egrets at Gilooley’s Interchange, providing a calming
sight for city motorists.
Delaney’s studio at Victoria Yards continues to produce sculptures for clients
worldwide, and he spends part of each year in New York producing print works
that explore the remnants of history in architecture and public art. Yet
Johannesburg remains home. “I love the climate and the trees here,” he says. “I
love the green spaces and the simplicity of habit and home. And the fact that
Pablo has green spaces in which we can walk.”
Join James Delaney at The Wilds on 29 and 30 November for a free walkabout
and talk. Visitors are encouraged to bring indigenous plants and cuttings to
donate for planting at the Library Gardens in the CBD.
Delaney’s work exemplifies how art, activism, and community engagement can
intersect to transform cities, turning neglected urban spaces into vibrant, living
landscapes.
Bridget Hilton-Barber is a freelance writer for Jozi My Jozi. This story first
appeared in DM168 newspaper.
the champions of Jozi My Jozi’s Babize Bonke campaign (“let them all come” in
10:10
isiZulu), which invites people to experience the revival of the city through the
eyes of its creative citizens.
Delaney works from his studio at Victoria Yards in Lorentzville, on the eastern
edge of Johannesburg’s CBD—a fabulous double-volume, light-filled space that
showcases his artworks, including metal sculptures, photographs, prints,
lithography, and charcoal drawings. Guarded by his faithful golden labrador,
Pablo, who has long been part of Delaney’s artistic journey, the studio reflects
both the scope of his practice and the playful spirit that informs it.
Delaney is a multidisciplinary artist whose current focus is sculpture and art as a
tool for place-making. Standing at the intersection of art and landscape, his
works explore how the spaces we inhabit—city streets, wild spaces, or man-
made parks—affect and are affected by our presence. Over the past two
decades, his work has been exhibited globally, earning accolades from Business
and Arts South Africa and the South African Institute of Architects for his public
art installations.
In Johannesburg, he is most renowned for restoring The Wilds, a once-
neglected 16-hectare park on the edge of downtown. Previously abandoned
and unsafe, The Wilds now features indigenous gardens, water channels,
towering trees, and Delaney’s 62 simple yet striking sculptures. “What started
as a hobby of trimming the trees and clipping overgrown plants became a
rejuvenation project,” he says. Inspired by the restoration of Central Park in
New York, Delaney sought to create a space that invited people to become the
positive eyes and ears of the park.
Beyond aesthetics, Delaney designed spaces for people to sit, pause, and
reflect, encouraging mental rejuvenation and community connection. Today,
the park is a safe haven, frequented predominantly by women, walkers,
picnickers, romancers, and selfie-takers on weekends.
His urban interventions extend beyond The Wilds. Delaney served as landscape
designer for Indwe Park in Braamfontein, a landmark that sits atop the
watershed dividing the Limpopo and Orange rivers. He has also contributed to
the renovation of Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth bridges,
overseeing the installation of benches on the Mandela Bridge for reflection,
reading, or simply enjoying the view. His latest public artworks include elegant
white metal zebras and egrets at Gilooley’s Interchange, providing a calming
sight for city motorists.
Delaney’s studio at Victoria Yards continues to produce sculptures for clients
worldwide, and he spends part of each year in New York producing print works
that explore the remnants of history in architecture and public art. Yet
Johannesburg remains home. “I love the climate and the trees here,” he says. “I
love the green spaces and the simplicity of habit and home. And the fact that
Pablo has green spaces in which we can walk.”
Join James Delaney at The Wilds on 29 and 30 November for a free walkabout
and talk. Visitors are encouraged to bring indigenous plants and cuttings to
donate for planting at the Library Gardens in the CBD.
Delaney’s work exemplifies how art, activism, and community engagement can
intersect to transform cities, turning neglected urban spaces into vibrant, living
landscapes.
Bridget Hilton-Barber is a freelance writer for Jozi My Jozi. This story first
appeared in DM168 newspaper.
