handsome things

Make sure you don’t miss Paul Senyol‘s much-anticipated first solo exhibition opening this April. He’ll be showcasing a collection of new paintings on paper, entitled The Man of Dust at Salon91 in Cape Town.

This body of work will explore our shared experience of the human condition in relation to the phrase:

“And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man.”

His unique abstract style with its roots in Street Art, and inspired by great artists like Basquiat and Miró, remains open-ended, expressed through a visual language, which may be universally understood. In collaboration with Salon91 Senyol will also be publishing a highly collectable book that will catalog and form part of the exhibition and showcase the creative processes, drafts and thoughts behind the finished artworks.

MEDIUM: Abstract, mixed media paintings on paper.

26 April – 26 May 2012

Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection

Good luck Paul!

Maaike Bakker

Maaike Bakker

Maaike Bakker

Louis Minnaar

Louis Minaar

/ THE RIVER

From the minds of two young thinkers in a purple-flowered-city
This fantastic tale emerges, mysterious and gritty:
A sloth, on a terrible journey, hoping to recover what he has lost;
banks will be flooded, lines will be crossed.

Pretoria visual artists Louis Minnaar and Maaike Bakker present a twisting narrative exhibition of
collaborated visual works blending with words by Jaco van der Merwe.

http://www.theriverexhibition.blogspot.com/

On Saturday I had the pleasure of spending the morning with artist Mariëtte Bergh and her three dogs as she prepares for her upcoming exhibition entitled Bare your Bones. Mariëtte is known for her beautiful reverse-glass paintings and this exhibition also includes some work that combine reverse-glass with ink drawings on wood. My photos don’t do her stunning work justice, so make sure you don’t miss her exhibition at ROOM, 70 Juta Precinct, Braamfontein.

OPENING 15 March at 18:00.
The exhibition runs from 15 March – 14 April 2012.

“BARE YOUR BONES is an introspective collection of work exploring disenchantment during the transition from whimsical youth to responsible adult. Whereas some accept this transition, many resist it for a period or indefinitely, but the merciless nature of time isn’t kind to such individuals and is usually the motivation behind eventual submission. How does one ‘grow-up’ without losing the magic of a youthful spirit? The exhibition alludes specifically to the experience of the artist herself, and to that of misfits and bohemians.”

http://mariettebergh.com/

Thanks Mariëtte!

Shadows. Black chalk and pencil drawing.

Head study. Chalk drawing.

Figure reclining. Chalk drawing.

Seated Girl. Chalk drawing.

Study for Bulldog. Chalk and Pencil drawing.

Cola. Black Chalk and Pencil drawing.

Paul Emsley has been selected as the 2012 Wordfest Artist and the exhibition, curated by Amanda Botha, runs alongside the US Wordfest programme. The retrospective exhibition pays tribute to this highly esteemed artist who has dedicated the last 36 years to perfecting the art of drawing and painting.

“Emsley’s art can be divided into 5 periods, each marking a distinct shift in style. Most recently he has become known for his unmatched life-like renditions of animals, landscapes, faces and flowers. In 2007 his large-scale oil painting of Michael Simpson won him first prize at the BP Portrait Awards; Michael Simpson was then exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery (London).” – Brundyn + Gonsalves

US Woordfees/Wordfest Artist 2012, Sasol Museum, 52 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch.

2 March – 21 April

Jonah Sack was born is Jo’burg in 1978, and by the looks of his biography below, he hasn’t rested a day since.

“Jonah Sack completed a Masters in Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland between 2004 and 2006. Before that he went on a research study residence in the Manga Department, Kyoto Seika University, Japan, from September 2005 to January 2006.

Sack also holds a BA(Honours) in Philosophy from the University of the Witwatersrand, which he obtained in 2003, and a BA(Fine Art) in Fine Art & Art Criticism, also from University of the Witwatersrand, which he obtained in 2002.

He was Fellow of the Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts at the University of Cape Town in 2009 and Fellow of the Skye Foundation, Cape Town, in 2004. His first solo exhibition at GALLERY AOP was in October 2011.” – via Art on Paper

Images via Jonah’s blog: http://jonahsack.tumblr.com/ and Gallery AOP

Don’t miss Heike Davies’ exhibition Goodnight, which opens today at the Barnard Gallery in Cape Town. The provocative art exhibition explores the power and fragility of women.

“The paintings that I am making at the moment, are predominantly “portraits” of women. They tend to combine elements from traditional portraiture with something else that is more uncomfortable and raw.

The women range from prostitutes, porn stars, fashion models, mothers, wives, sisters and ordinary women that I have encountered – yet on these canvases the differences and similarities are lost as they are collectively portrayed as women in a way that is sexual – fragile yet fierce in their strength.”

“Heike Davies, was born in 1976, has a BA degree in Fine Art from the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, in 2000. During her studies she was awarded the Maciver Scholarship (1999 and 2000) and was placed on the Dean’s Merit List (1999 and 2000).”

Images and text via Barnard Gallery and Art Times

The beast in Mind is an exhibition featuring works by Elise Wessels (featured here) and Tamsin Relly at Salon 91 in Cape Town until the 11th of February.

“Beast in Mind, is an intuitive visual interpretation of the Shadow archetype, as defined by C.G. Jung. Jung proposed that the ‘Shadow’ may partially be linked to primordial and irrational animal instincts, and it is also seen to be the seat of creativity, which becomes my point of departure. This series is inspired by South African writers in whose lives and work it seems the Shadow played a significant role. I use hybrid forms as a means to simulate a visual – or actual – conversation between the psyche and animal archetypes. With Beast in Mind I hope to offer to the viewer a key to the intuitive language of the Shadow.” – Elise Wessels

“Elise Wessels works as an Illustrator in Cape Town. After spending two and a half years at the Am I Collective studio she now works independently. She completed her Bachelors in Fine Art through the University of South Africa.“

via Warren Editions & Art Times

http://www.salon91art.co.za/

Jo’burg. Colour pencil, ballpoint pen on paper.

Limpopo Eastern North Central. Colour pencil, ballpoint pen on paper.

Central Limpopo. Colour pencil, ballpoint pen on paper.

Johannesburg North East. Colour pencil, ballpoint pen on paper.

Limpopo Eastern North Central.

“John Phalane is a cartographic artist. He draws maps with coloured pencils of his native Limpopo province and of the streets and suburbs of Johannesburg, where he worked for a brief period of his life. His maps are artful, providing routes into and out of the ‘unknown’. But he also uses maps as shorthand for such ready metaphors as seeking location and experiencing dislocation, bringing order to chaos, exploring rations of scale, and charting new terrain.

The nature of his map art transcends the purely diagrammatic or semiotic. Like many cartographers, Phalane knows that embellishing maps with artistic elements can enhance their effect, making them more compelling through shear visual creativity.”

His Malete exhibition is on at Art on Paper (44 Stanley) Jo’burg until the 28th of January.

www.artonpaper.co.za

All images via: www.artonpaper.co.za