exhibitions & gallery representation: 

1. Palette Perspectives Art Exhibition in Minneapolis, USA, hosted by the American National Art Education Association (NAEA), April 2024
2. Pretoria Art Museum, Arcadia, Pretoria, Ubuntu Group Exhibition, November–February 2024
   
3. Sandton Auctioneers: South African and International Collectibles, 2023
4. Spektra Art Gallery, Group Exhibition, Centurion, September 7–30, 2022.  
5. The Centurion Art Association, Group Exhibition, Centurion, March 15–April 2, 2022
6. Tina Skukan Gallery, Group Exhibition, Pretoria, 20 March–21 April 2021
7. Portchie Gallery in Pretoria, from 2000–current
8. Fellow artist and friend Portchie has presented her work at The Red Teapot Gallery, Stellenbosch, since 1998–Current.  
9. Golden Goose Fine Art Galleries Southdowns, Centurion 2019- Current
10. Centurion Art Association and Centurion Gallery, City of Tshwane Metropolitan, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022
11. Standford Harvest Farm Kitchen & Art Gallery, Stanford, 2015-2017
12. Brooklyn Theater, Greenlyn, Pretoria; "A Thousand Thoughts." International cricket commentator Fanie de Villiers opened the group exhibition at the Brooklyn Theatre in August– September 2015. 
13. The College Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands, announced the unveiling of the original painting for the book cover design, "Progress towards Understanding Anterior Knee Pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty." 
14. White August Interior Southdowns, 2013 and 2014
15. Irene Art Show Group Exhibition, Irene Village Hall, Irene-Centurion, 2012–2018
16. Annual South African Arts Festival, Aardklop, Potchefstroom, 2012
17. Gallery Cresta,  Randburg-Johannesburg, 2000–2005
18. Henry Taylor Gallery, Fourways Mall, Johannesburg, 2001 
19. Magnolia Dal Art in the Park, Pretoria, 2002–2005
20. Regal Gallery, Faerie Glen, Pretoria, 2005 
21. Classic Art, Edenvale, Johannesburg, 2002–2005
22. Impact Art Gallery, Pretoria, 2000-2004
23. Sandton City Art & Frame Sandton Pat Redman Gallery, Johannesburg, 2000–200
24. Member of the Centurion Arts Association Society of Artists from 2015–present. The association is affiliated with the SANAVA or South African National Association of Visual Art. 

awards:

Louise's creative efforts have been recognized, receiving acclaim spanning painting, photography, and mixed media. Pieces have been published, exhibited, and collected for investment purposes, notably at Rand Merchant Private Bank. Throughout her creations, her primary aim is to spread joy.

1.  Invitation and  Honorable Mention, American National Art Association, Palette Perspectives in Minneapolis, USA, Juried Art Exhibition, April 2024 
   
2. Centurion Artist of the Year: Overall Winner, Category Graphic Art, 2022—Centurion Art Association, affiliated with The South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA)
3. Centurion  Artist of the Year: Overall Winner, Category Photography, 2022, affiliated with The South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA)
4. Winner of Mixed Media Arts at the Centurion Artist of the Year Awards, Centurion Kunsvereniging/Art Association, 2016.
5. Merit Award for Painting, CAA, Centurion, 2015. 
6. Stellenbosch University & AGFA Photography Award, Top 100 Using a 35mm film SLR camera, "A Day in the Life of Stellenbosch" was captured as part of a competition in collaboration with AGFA and the University of Stellenbosch in 1998, later published in book form.

media coverage and publishing:

1. Breugem, L. (2019, September) "The canvas is never blank, but full of opportunity,"   Dalton Visie Tijdschrift/Magazine, Nederland.

2. Van der Linde, L. (2017, June) Laf of Lekker?  Vrouekeur Magazine, South Africa.

3. Book cover design for a Ph.D. publication by Breugem, S. (2014), "Progress towards Understanding Anterior Knee Pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty," Ede: Ponsen & Looijen, Vrije University Amsterdam.

4. Ferreira, C. (2011, May), Mooi van kroon tot toon," Leef Magazine.

5. Mostert, J. (2007, August), Kunstenaar in die holte van die Kaap," Centurion News.

BIO:

Louise Breugem graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Education from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.  Her talent as a visual artist has gained recognition, with her work being featured at esteemed venues like the American National Art Association in Minneapolis, USA, in April 2024. Breugem explains that her art practice alone was not enough; she wanted to integrate teaching into her artistic endeavors, combining these two important aspects of her life. Over the past 20 years, she has been teaching both full-time and part-time. Driven by her passion for the arts, she is currently pursuing advanced studies online in art education at The Art of Education University in Osage, Iowa, USA. She maintains a consistent presence at both local and national exhibitions. 

Louise believes art has the transformative power to unite and connect people across the globe, fostering cultural exchange and intercultural understanding. She has been part of school partnerships with local artisans, facilitating experiential learning that bridges communities. South Africa boasts remarkable cultural diversity and a rich mix of ethnicities. She recently explored the legacy of a disappearing art form in South Africa. She spent an overnight hosted by internationally acclaimed South African artist Esher Mahlangu in Mthambothini, a remote village near Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga. An African fireplace lit "Mama Esther's" decoratively painted home, and interesting conversations lasted deep into the night. Ndebele women are traditionally painted on whitewashed murals employing natural color pigments and chicken feathers to express an emotional connection and cultural resistance. The historical role of traditional painting and beadwork originated in the aftermath of the defeat during the War of 1883. It became an essential means of expressing the community and communicating ethnic identity. In addition to the shifting sociopolitical situation in South Africa, modern economic markets also affect the production and functioning of Ndebele art. She is grateful for the Ndebele women, particularly Esther Mahlangu and Fransina Ndimande, who opened their homes to share their gift for painting vibrant traditional geometric designs. The instructional painting class offered brought Louise closer to Ndebele traditions passed down from Mahlangu's mother and grandmother. The intent was not to paint on behalf of someone else's culture but to understand the skills and techniques used in cultural preservation. In 1991, Mahlangu became the first lady and African to participate in the BMW Art Car Collection alongside other notables of Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella.

With eyes sparkling with boundless enthusiasm, she recounts her encounters with artists and artisans from around the globe, having travelled to almost 50 countries. In Malaysia, she learned the delicate art of Chinese brush painting from Buddhist monk Sim See San. While in Zambia, near the Congo border, she worked with ceramist Jade Enright, shaping clay unearthed from beneath a termite mound. Her passion for multicultural fabric art led her to Surakarta, the birthplace of Javanese batik. She discovered connections between batik and African wax prints and their shared historical ties with the Netherlands and Indonesia.

Louise describes witnessing Aboriginal artists in Australia painting sacred symbols as an unforgettable privilege, one of many transformative experiences on her artistic journey. Each encounter fuels her commitment to art as a tool for connection, storytelling, and understanding across cultures.

As a self-proclaimed shutterbug, Louise, at age 10, came across a National Geographic magazine featuring pictures taken by photographer Steve McCurry in Agra, "Taj and Train." His images blew her away. Observing his work prompted a lot of emotion, leading her on a visual journey to obtain a glimpse of street life in India.  She's longed to go there ever since. Her desire became a reality when she traveled to the colorful state of Rajasthan with her husband in 2010, searching for the mystique, vibrancy, and patterns of everyday life via her camera lens.