B.A. in Politics and African Studies
Degree in the Fine Arts Degree in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the end of the seventies he studied mime and theatre at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris
Between 1975 and 1991 he was acting and directing in Johannesburg's Junction Avenue Theatre Company. In the eighties he worked on television films and series as art director.
En 1989 he created his first animation work, "2nd greatest city after Paris", in the series "Drawings for projection". In this he used a technique that became a feature of his work: successive charcoal drawings, always on the same sheet of paper, contrary to the traditional animation technique in which each movement is drawn on a separate sheet. In this way Kentridge's videos and films keep the traces of the previous drawings. His animations deal with political and social issues from a personal and - at times - autobiographical point of view, since the author includes his self-portrait in some of his works.
Kentridge used the same technique in his animations, "Sobriety, obesity and growing old" (1991), "Felix in exile" (1994), "History of the main complaint" (1996) and "Stereoscope" (1999). In 1999 he made "Shadow procession" with black cardboard cutouts on book pages and maps.
He has exhibited at "X Documenta", Kassel (1997); the 24th São Paulo Biennial (1998); and the Venice Biennial (1999). He has had personal exhibitions in London, New York, Sidney and Johannesburg.