(“Redemptive Series: Rest”: Handmade paper and thread)In partial submission for her Master’s Degree in Fine Art Celeste van der Merwe will present a body of work completed over a period of three years at the DUT Gallery. Titled Red’s Family Affair, the exhibition addresses the pain teenagers suffer as a result of dysfunctional family lives and is made up of layers of stories drawn from real life. In her work, Van der Merwe explores the relationship between script and image.
“My ultimate aim with this exhibition is to create an environment of empathy where you, the viewer can identify with the pain teenagers suffer as a result of dysfunctional family lives,” says Celeste about her work. “My art is germinated in identification with teenagers who ask questions like “When did I become the parent in this relationship?” or make statements like “My mother discussed suicide with me as though it was a family decision.” The primary goal of my art is to address social issues as well as facilitate the beginning of healing both in teenagers and between teenagers and parents.
“I based the artwork in this exhibition on Little Red Riding Hood, an allegory by the Grimm Brothers,” she continues. “I believe that allegories act as windows into the sub-conscious and are able to cut to the essence of the human psyche. In Little Red Riding Hood, the young girl’s mother sends her on a mission amongst prowling wolves while the father is absent. This scenario represents a global phenomenon and Little Red Riding Hood has been translated into more than 47 languages. International names of Little Red Riding Hood have been embroidered on the Cape and scroll across the screen in the movie called RED, the movie clip.”
Celeste van der Merwe wrote her own allegory called Red’s Family Affair and depicted phrases from it in The Story Series. Many of the images in her art are based on drawings made by suffering young people, for example, Child’s Picture Book was inspired by a journal of a pre-teen. Being based on true stories her art is heartfelt, authentic and passionate.
“The dominant colour of my art is red which is bold and intense,” explains Celeste. “It signifies love, pain, covenant and redemption. The entire exhibition consists of a limited palette resulting in uniformity and continuity. Doing this Master’s course I learned the truth of Edward de Bono statement that “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”(2002). I was challenged to push the boundaries of my art and to discover a unique technique that allowed me to have fun while making art.
“Instead of being constrained and inhibited, I tear, crumple and sew on handmade paper. Next, I dollop glue on the paper and build layers,” she continues. “I enjoy the freedom of using mixed media and use anything I think is suited to the work, ranging from henna to beeswax or shoe polish. My work is tactile and includes a great variety of textures. By deconstructing and transforming materials, I experience a new found freedom and am able to flow intuitively. This process of deconstruction and rebuilding is a reflection of the breakdown and restoration in Red’s life. As a woman I derive pleasure from sewing, crocheting and embroidery and enjoy the fine flowing threads that hang from my art.
The majority of my artworks are made up of a combination of image and script. The theme of my Master’s thesis is The relationship between image and script in the work of Celeste van der Merwe, Willem Boshoff and Barbara Kruger. The script is not always intended to be legible and is often in an unknown language or veiled with marks, strokes or lines.”
This body of work reads like a catalogue of hurts suffered by teenagers juxtaposed with a Redemptive Series and a mixed media painting called Redemption depicting deliverance from dark circumstances, hope for a better future and restoration.
Red’s Family Affair opens at the DUT Art Gallery on January 18 at 18h30 to run until January 31. The DUT Art Gallery is situated above the library of the Steve Biko Campus on Steve Biko Road. More information from curator Nathi Gumede on 031 373 2207 or email: nkosinathig@dut.ac.za
Posts
