Kate Gottgens was born in 1965 in Durban, South Africa, and currently lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. Gottgens graduated from the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, in 1987. She was the recipient of the Ampersand Fellowship Award, resulting in a residency in New York City, USA, in 2019, and was selected for the prestigious Thames & Hudson publication, 100 Painters of Tomorrow in 2014.

In 2023, Gottgens presented a solo booth at Art Brussels, in Brussels, Belgium.Gottgens presented two solo exhibitions in 2022, The Swimmer at SMAC Gallery in Johannesburg as well as Whispering of Ghosts at the Boschendal Norval Art Gallery, in Stellenbosch, South Africa. In 2020, Gottgens presented her critically acclaimed solo exhibition, Skyglow on Mars Black, at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town; Tired from Smiling at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town (2017); Famine at SMAC Gallery in Johannesburg (2016); Infinite Loop at SMAC Gallery in Stellenbosch; and Savage Nature at Espacio Liquido in Gijon, Spain(both in 2014); and MALICE Aforethought at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town (2013).

In 2022, Gottgens presented her work at Naughty Aughties, SMAC Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa; FNB Art Joburg with SMAC Gallery, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa; Inner Landscapes, Bloom Galerie, Geneva, Switzerland; FynArts Hermanus, FynArts Gallery, Hermanus, South Africa; Art Brussels with SMAC Gallery, Tour & Taxis, Brussels, Belgium; MiArt with SMAC Gallery, Fiera Milano City, Milan, Italy and Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, South Africa.

Further selected group exhibitions include: Weekend Special, Cape Town Art Weekend, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa; Opening Exhibition, FNB Art Joburg, SMAC Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa; Investec Cape Town Art Fair with SMAC Gallery, Digital Event and ‘I have made a place’, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa (2021). A Show of Solidarity, a group exhibition in support of the South African Solidarity Fund during a nationwide enforced lockdown, at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town (2020); the Ampersand Foundation Award 21 years celebration exhibition curated by Gordon Froud at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery in Johannesburg; and Suitcase Show, at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town, as part of the group show in collaboration with Galleria Massimo Minini, both in 2019; Bathing, curated by Brian Shure at Planthouse Gallery in New York City, USA (2018); Summer Show ’16 at SMAC Gallery in Stellenbosch, South Africa (2016); Imago Mundi, a travelling exhibition held at Museo Carlo Bilotti, Rome and Ca’ dei Carraresi in Treviso, Italy, both in 2014; the 8th New Delhi Triennale in India in 1994 and Scurvy at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town in 1995.

Gottgens’ art fair participation includes a solo booth at Untitled, Art in Miami Beach, USA in 2019, as well as group presentations at artmonte-carlo in Monaco, Artissima in Turin, Italy, and Miart in Milan, among others.

To date, SMAC Gallery has published two books on Gottgens: Kate Gottgens// Paintings 2007 – 2015 and Gottgens // Paintings 2015 – 2017.