My Body is a Museum - An Embodiment Workshop by Mantala Nkoatse

My Body is a Museum is a 90-minute embodied art workshop by Mantala Nkoatse, presented at Workshop17 The Bank as an extension of the current group exhibition she is featured in, entitled Urban Chemistry, a creative place-making in Johannesburg. The experience invites participants to move beyond simple art viewing and instead explores how art can be encountered through the body, breath, movement, memory and language.

The workshop begins with a guided walkabout through the exhibition, creating an opportunity for participants to engage with the artworks through their senses and personal responses. This is followed by breathwork and a relational listening practice that invites participants to become aware of their own heartbeat, breath and presence while cultivating trust and connection within the group. Participants then transition into a period of mindful movement, drawing from dance and yoga.

A sealed envelope, carried by each participant throughout the experience, acts as a tactile anchor. Following the movement and breathwork, participants open their envelopes to discover words that become personal prompts for reflection. These words lead into a poetry and writing process, where participants are invited to translate their embodied experience of the exhibition, movement and internal landscape into language.

The workshop concludes with an optional sharing and reflection circle, allowing participants to witness one another's experiences while maintaining personal choice and boundaries. At the heart of the experience is an invitation to consider the body as a living archive. A place where memories, emotions, histories and stories

are held.

10 September 2026

Workshop17 The Bank

17:30 - 19:00

Please bring a yoga mat and wear comfortable clothing.