William Kentridge is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. Born on 28 April 1955 in Johannesburg, South Africa, into a family with a strong commitment to social justice—his parents were lawyers, noted for their defense of victims of apartheid—Kentridge's work has been deeply influenced by the social and political dynamics of South Africa.

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Kentridge's education includes studying politics and African studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before turning to art, attending the Johannesburg Art Foundation. Later, he studied mime and theatre at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. This multidisciplinary background—combining visual art with performance—has deeply influenced his approach to art-making.

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Kentridge emerged as an artist during the apartheid era in South Africa, and his work has consistently reflected the complexities and contradictions of this period. He gained international recognition in the 1990s, particularly for his animated films or "drawings for projection." These works are created by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. The process captures the history of the drawing's transformation and brings a unique temporal dimension to his work. Notable films include "Johannesburg, 2nd Greatest City After Paris" (1989) and "Felix in Exile" (1994), which are part of a series that delves into the life and psyche of fictional characters living in South Africa.

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