Strauss & Co presents works from our exhibition Dreaming Impossible Things, on view at the Alliance Française du Cap as part of the 2026 Heat Winter Arts Festival in Cape Town.

This year's theme, Ctrl + Z, invites us to reflect on the notion of undoing. It reminds us that while we can instantly undo our actions in the digital realm using a simple keyboard shortcut, in reality, repairing the damage caused by systems such as colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and capitalism is a far more complex endeavour.

We have selected works from our August Online Sale (27 July – 17 August) that explore the devastating effects of our fractured relationship with the land. We have also included artworks that imagine how we might better honour the Earth's resources and restore our sense of belonging within it.

The title of the exhibition is taken from Carol-Anne Gainer's triptych, a key work in the show. It acknowledges how we continue to strive towards healing and restitution despite the seeming impossibility of "undoing" the destruction caused by oppression and unsustainable means of production.

Among the highlights, Christine Dixie's prints evoke the cautionary tale of the fall of Adam and Eve, becoming etched reminders of the devastating paths that greed and deception can lead us down.