(Work on the exhibition by Siobhan
O'Reagain)
Durban artist Siobhan O'Reagain presents her exhibition Hortus
Conclusis Brunsfelsia in the main and mezzanine galleries at the KZNSA: This
consists of an installation of beautiful and delicate porcelain works and
drawings that reflect her personal interpretation of the garden, using both fine
art and botanical approaches.
The artist’s statement follows:
“The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the
interpretation of the garden in my art practice, in the form of an exhibition
titled Hortus Conclusis: Brunsfelsia (Enclosed
Garden: Past, Present and Future). The name Brunsfelsia refers to the shrub
commonly known as the Yesterday, To-day and Tomorrow.
The title of the exhibition refers to my interpretation of
the garden, framed by my enduring physical and metaphysical relationship with
nature and the garden, in which the garden is seen as a secluded space. Giano Venturi
(in Mosser, and Teyssot, 1999:88) philosophised that every garden is ‘secret’ in
the sense that “the essence of the garden is to provide solitude and
seclusion”. The concept of the garden is interpreted through an exploration of
the passing of time, the fragility of nature, the seasons and the natural
process of decay. In addition the title references the notion of the historical
past, present and future, in the context of the introduction and evolution of
the garden in Southern Africa, as a part of European colonialism. I see the
garden as a fragile place. Although my exhibition consists of mixed media, this
theme of fragility and ephemerality is reflected in my choice of porcelain,
itself delicate, and if pushed to the extreme incredibly translucent as
rendered in my plant portraits. Conversely, it is also the medium chosen to contribute
to the making of garden tools of labour such as spades, edge cutters and
trowels, such machinery perceived as representative of colonialism.
The garden is seen as metaphor of our lives, representative
of our present yet intrinsically linked with our past in terms of self and
associations such as culture, spirituality, emotion and circumstance.
This Hortus Conclusis Brunsfelsia
explores the concepts of the indigenous versus the exotic. Viewers are
encouraged to question previously accepted Victorian perceptions in respect of
the gardens of our past intrinsically linking and exploring the values inherent
in contemporary gardens.
In interpreting the garden, imagery was sourced from my
relationship with the garden since childhood.
As a child I experienced the garden as a secluded, magical place, filled
with fantasy, in different forms and locations. It is this magic of
translucency, delicacy and detail which I have explored in creating work for
this exhibition, this Hortus Conclusis Brunsfelsia,
an acknowledgement that the beauty and the fascination with nature, plants and
the environment, and the garden has been a continual thread throughout the
tapestry of my life, for which I am grateful. It is the garden which nourishes
and nurtures our every day.”
Hortus Conclusis Brunsfelsia
runs until November 16. The KZNSA Gallery is
situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703,
fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
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