Sarah de Villiers

I’m an architectural researcher, designer, and educator interested in the entanglements of space, power, and economy. I work in interdisciplinary ways, often in collaboration with artists, researchers, and institutions across multiple geographies.

My practice uses drawing, mapping, and spatial strategy to explore how architecture intersects with trade, land, property, and systems of extraction and circulation. I lead spaceKIOSK, a research-led practice operating at the intersection of design, technology, and material economies.

Recent projects span contexts including Johannesburg, Accra, Berlin, Milan, and Venice, engaging with the politics of territory, infrastructure, and cultural production. I was an assistant curator for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia (The Laboratory of the Future, 2023) and a tutor in the Biennale College Architettura.

I have worked with the African Futures Institute (Accra), African Centre for Cities (Cape Town), and the Archive of Forgetfulness. I was a co-founding director of Counterspace, a Johannesburg-based architecture practice. I also taught for several years at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg, across Unit 18 and Unit 14.

Practice

• Patel, N., Verghese, M., Clancy, M., Amsler, M., De Villiers, S., and Marie, Z. ‘Die Zukunft ist Jetzt’ (mixed media installation), in Hidden Realities, Spreepark Art Space, Berlin, March-June 2025.
• Doermann, K. with De Villiers, S. ‘Bungalow Compounds: Accumulating Interest, Building Values in Johannesburg’ (exhibited drawings), in 19^th International Architecture, Arsenale, Venice, April-November 2025.
• De Villiers, S. and Patel, N. ‘Assembling Lines’, (mixed media installation), Spier, Stellenbosch, March-April 2024.
• Assistant curator in ‘The Laboratory of the Future’, La Biennale di Venezia (curated by Lesley Lokko OBE), Central Pavilion, Venice, May-November 2023.
• Tayob, H and Kona, B (curators) ‘Archive of Forgetfulness’ (Exhibited drawings), online exhibition. April 2021-present.
• De Villiers, S. ‘Making Rainbows: Landscapes for Negotiation’ in Architectural Design Special Issue: Radical Architectural Drawing, Volume 92, Issue 4, July/ August 2022, Pp 54-61. Wiley: New York.
• Wanjiku Kihato, C., De Villiers, S. Mohamed, S and Mohulatsi, B. ‘Spatial Injustice in Johannesburg in The Time of Covid-19’ in Current History, May, Vol 120, Issue 826, pp 179-182. Current History Inc. New York.
• De Villiers, S, Tayob, H., Patel, N. ‘Temporal Mediums’. In Arch SA: Journal of the South African Institute for Architects. Issue 100. June/July/August 2021. SAIA: Johannesburg.
• De Villiers, S. and Vally, S., ‘You Have a Message’. in Ellipses Journal of Creative Research Special Edition. March 2021. AURA: Johannesburg.
• eds Patel, N, de Villiers, S, Tayob, H. ‘Hyperreal Prototypes 2020-2021’, Graduate School of Architecture UJ Press: Johannesburg.
• De Villiers, S. ‘Erven and Other Hyperreal Constructions of Value’ in Disembodied Territories, online exhibition.
• ‘Dialogues with Dust’, Tayob, H. and de Villiers, S. In The SITE Magazine and Triennale Milano Dario 2022
• Vally, S., De Villiers, S., with Nawar, H., Pather, T. and Murray, T. ‘Material Histories: Sands, Soils, Recipes and Other Archives’, in Library of Land and Sea, Istanbul Design Biennale, ARK Kültür, Istanbul, Türkiye.
• Gallagher, J. ‘Statements: African State Architecture Exhibition’ exhibition design. Johannesburg and Pretoria, November-December 2019.
• 2015-2023: Built/proposed building projects including Multi-Use Science Education Block For St Mary’s Girls School (with Rebel Base Collective, built 2024), contribution on Serpentine Pavilion 2021 (Counterspace, London), Church Square Regeneration Project Phase 2 (Counterspace and CMA, Pretoria, 2019), Folded Skies (Counterspace, Stellenbosch, 2019), Children’s Courtroom (Counterspace, Braamfontein, 2019), Golden Gate National Park Dinosaur Interpretive Centre (MRA, Free State, 2016), Taung World Heritage Site Museum (MRA, Taung, 2016), Church Square Regeneration Project Phase 1 (MRA, Pretoria, 2016), Apartheid Museum Extension (Johannesburg, MRA, 2015), South African Pavilion, Venice Biennale (MRA, Venice, 2015).

Knowledge Exchange/Lectures

• De Villiers, S. ‘Restless Mirages’ (Lecture), at Politecnico di Milano, School of Architecture December 2024.
• De Villiers, S., Tayob, H., Morgado, C. Wright, W. (Convenors) for ‘Dialogues with Dust’ conference, held at Graduate School of Architecture, Johannesburg. Online. 2020.
• De Villiers, S. and Tayob, H. ‘Dialogues with Dust’. Talk with Triennale Milano and Sites Magazine. September 2020.
• Vally, S. and De Villiers, S. SCIAME New York Spring 2020 Lecture Series – Climate Justice, April 2020.
• Vally, S. De Villiers, S., Kaskar, A. ‘Countermarching’, GSA UJ International Lecture Series: Counterspace. Johannesburg. July 2019.
• Govender, T. and De Villiers, S. ‘Rogue Economies’ (Lecture) at Made in Hong Kong: Interactive Colloquia at Hong Kong Polytech University . December 2017.

Other academic activities

• 2024-2025: Member of Ellipses […] Journal Spatial Praxis Editorial Collective
• 2024: Spreepark International Arts Residency, Berlin, Germany
• 2021-2023: MArch External Examiner, University of the Witwatersrand
• 2017-Present: Member of South African Council for Architects – Registered Professional Architect (in South Africa).

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