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Thursday, October 4, 2012

SALOMI PRINSLOO EXHIBITION

(Work by Salomi Prinsloo)


An exhibition titled Between Dreaming and Daylight by Salomi Prinsloo is currently running at the Imbizo Gallery in Ballito.

Usually artists make it their concern to present the foreground as the primary subject or visual focus but in Salomi Prinsloo’s works, it appears as if the subjects often from the rainforests forcefully pop out of the tumultuous Turner-like background with a visual voice of conservation and eco-friendly living strategies.

These green and eco-friendly art works are personal reflections of Salomi Prinsloo’s experience and her observations of research done by NASA upon the ability of certain plant species to combat indoor air pollution.

As described by Dr P. Pienaar: “The royal, spontaneous and yet calculated dressing of the background becomes visual music which supports the strategic placement of the often simplistic foreground or subject loudly and this is particularly applicable to the flower studies. The backgrounds are reminiscent of the “Pollockian” way of treating the surface by deliberately adding “aggressive” spattering, liberating contrasts and creating texture cracks.

“The flower paintings become visceral, landscape based paintings. Each piece conveys a sense of endless wonder and imagination. Salomi’s stylistic approach reminds of reflections, memories and dreams combined with reality. Salomi constructs layers of associations and meaning navigating between lyrical abstraction and realism. The works are thoughtful yet moving, encouraging the viewer to establish a personal reality.

“The trained art viewer or artist can recognise a dedication in the working of the background that bears witness of years of experimentation. The warmth and intensity in the textures and the variety of colours captured in the background testify that Salomi Prinsloo is an artist who makes it her concern to treat the picture or painting as a complete unit and each part thereof she treats with equal importance. Each component is artistically described until the whole work becomes a moment of visual “repose” of which the parts cannot be separated and the spectator can be fascinated by the completed work and the detail in particular, too.

“A new technique evident in the flower studies of this exhibition is the use of poetic lines which simply suggest forms, thus leaving a silence on the canvas which the spectator can then imaginatively complete. These forms are described with chalk and they masterfully break the high-intensity areas in some backgrounds and therefore the spectator is forced to become aware of the magnificent textures and the moment.”

“The panoramic landscapes on the spacious canvases are based on Salomi Prinsloo’s personal anchoring moments with the soil. Her landscapes share a Fauvistic or jovial colour play which creates “mischievous” moments that can resemble a display of fireworks where sparks appear in unexpected places and blaze for attention.  It is the opinion of Dr Pienaar that Salomi enters the realm of the old South African masters with these landscapes.”

The exhibition runs until the end of October. The Imbizo Gallery is situated in the LifeStyle Centre Ballito next to Beira Alta and opposite Zara's. More information on 032 946 1937 or email: info@imbizogallery.co.za