ARTIST STATEMENT
I believe we all have a distant memory of an ideal reality, a home calling to celebrate our shared humanity.

This evokes a desire, perhaps a DNA response to how things ought to be. We long to enter a space of belonging, of comfort, in which we acknowledge individuality and interdependence.

Yet our reality is one of dislocation. A disconnect between land and resources, between people and place. Loss of birthright and belonging perpetuates fractured identity.

I deal with disenfranchisement, marginalisation, colonisation, and understanding what decolonisation means. These concepts affect our sense of identity beyond fleeting time and geographic boundaries, beyond culture. They can cause us to take pride in having a very limited world view.

My subject matter is land and identity, and the vessels of trade that were instrumental in this disenfranchisement. Ships enabled exploration and exploitation. Precious commodities and human cargo were carried to the land of the coloniser. Resources continue to be robbed from under our feet.

The works deal with the materiality of our displacement. This is expressed in the diverse textures of found material and especially in the process of making art and the synergy between concept and making. The process gives clarity to form and the work ultimately takes a shape of its own.

Concrete is used as a main medium to freeze time. In freezing time one freezes moments and memories, bringing them into the now. This offers a context of reflection and assessment of where one is, recognising that these memories could be negative.

The beautiful thing about memories is that one can learn from them, avoid mistakes and celebrate the gift of life with the potential of making new memories. These memories will incorporate the scars and fracture that we carry, emphasising our frailty and our humanity.

This makes us more compassionate and embracing and less judgmental, understanding the essence of life is to walk with soft hearts and listening ears.

I see beauty in all things scarred, fractured, and thrown away. I see potential in found discarded objects The potential of hope and healing is what allows us to make and remake, to reconstitute, redefine and rebirth.

The exhibition can be viewed until Saturday, 27 August 2022. The artist will give a walkabout of the exhibition on the final day, at 11h00.

To purchase an artwork or high quality reproduction prints, please contact gallery@kznsagallery.co.za