KLIPKIND

A conversation with master clay artist Andries Dirks

Feb 12, 2026

Short Street in Riebeeck Kasteel is not a typical street, but a small square lined with old buildings whose histories are etched into stone and wood. The place holds its past visibly. It felt like the right setting to meet an artist whose work carries memory in much the same way.

I met Andries Dirks there, at Klipkind Studio. It is simple: a table with tools laid out carefully, clay sculptures scattered around the room, some finished, others still becoming. There is no sense of display, only process.

We walked to a nearby coffee shop to talk. He has a shy smile and an easy, unforced manner. He speaks quietly, but with conviction.

The Name

I asked him where the name Klipkind came from.

He grew up with his ouma and oupa on a farm between Gouda and Tulbagh. He was the only child there, and much of his childhood unfolded in solitude. Between the ages of nine and ten, he discovered clay. With no other children to play with, he began shaping figures — companions made by hand, formed from the earth around him.

Later, when his family moved closer to a school, everything changed. He was the only Khoi child there and was physically bigger than most of the children in his grade. The bullying was relentless. The other children called him dom, said he was like a klip—a stone that could not think.

Klipkind.

The name followed him. By Standard 4, he could no longer endure school and left.

Breaking Point

Without structure or protection, his life slowly unravelled. A series of poor choices led to years in prison.

It was there, through therapy and rehabilitation programmes, that he began to understand his own story. The aggression he struggled with was not innate. Before school, he had not been violent at all. It came later, shaped by humiliation, exclusion, and silence.

Understanding did not erase the past, but it gave it context.

Returning to Clay

After his release, he lived in Riebeeck West with Minnie, a clay artist, and her husband, Rich Rile. Minnie became an important guide. She taught him technical skills—how to fire clay properly, how to glaze, how to trust the process. She also invited him to teach pottery classes at her studio, placing him back into a space of dignity and responsibility.

It was also in Riebeeck West that he met his wife. When she became pregnant, stability became urgent. A former clay student told him about a store management position on the Goedgedacht farm, which included housing. He remained there for nine years.

Still, the pull of clay never left him.

Eventually, he returned to Riebeeck Kasteel and took work first as a gardener, then as a dishwasher at a coffee shop. During his lunch breaks, he worked with clay. Next door was a gallery. Someone noticed.

Astrid McLeod, the owner of Riebeeck Art Gallery, recognised something rare in his work. She contacted her brother, and together they entered him into Solo Studios at the Riebeeck Valley Art Festival in 2016. It was his first solo exhibition.

There were practical challenges; he had nowhere to fire his sculptures, but Astrid’s brother, Claus, helped him find a solution. Through this support, he became a regular participant in Solo Studios exhibitions.

In 2019, a couple from Monaco encountered his sculptures. They were deeply moved and began sponsoring the studio space he still works from today. Since then, his work has been exhibited in England, Germany, Wales and Paris. In South Africa, his work has been shown at the Swellendam Museum, the Castle of Good Hope, and the Koena Art Institute in Observatory.

The Work

His sculptures depict Khoi faces and figures. They are raw, deeply detailed, and startlingly present. Nothing is softened. The faces carry weight, history, endurance, and a quiet defiance. They do not ask to be explained.

Making Peace

There are layers to his life that surface gently as he speaks. His mother struggled with alcoholism. He and his siblings had different fathers. Later, he learned that his mother had given one of his brothers the same name as his own.

While he was in prison, this troubled him deeply. He wondered whether she had forgotten him or believed she would never see him again.

Today, he has made peace with it. He reflects that when he went to live with his mother at nineteen, the loss of the discipline and care he had known with his grandparents contributed to his downward spiral.

Understanding, once again, became a form of healing.

What Remains

Today, he is married and the father of four children. He speaks of them with pride and seriousness. For him, family is an everyday practice.

When I asked how he feels about life, he answered:

“Moenie opgee nie.”
Don’t give up.

He is outspoken against bullying and believes deeply in addressing it early. At home, he speaks openly with his children about how cruelty can shape a life. He is also involved in a local school project, teaching children to work with clay, offering them a language beyond words.

His dream is to have a solo exhibition in London.

When I asked about his vision for life, he paused, then said:

“Vandag het jy ’n kans om beter te lewe as gister.”
Today, you have a chance to live better than yesterday.

Contact & Classes

Andries Dirks offers clay workshops and individual classes from his studio in Riebeeck Kasteel. He can be contacted directly for commissions, exhibitions, or class enquiries:

Email: andriesdirks@gmail.com
Phone: +27 76 626 0998

Author’s Note

I am grateful to Andries Dirks for trusting me with his story. In a country where many stories are marked by fracture, what struck me most was not only the hardship he endured, but the steadiness with which he speaks about responsibility, healing and family. This conversation stayed with me long after I left Riebeeck Kasteel.

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