“From where I stand” - an exhibition of paintings by Suraya Tewary and Deidre Maree Opening on Monday, 21 September at 6/6:30p.m.

“From where I stand” acknowledges the process of painting as an ongoing exploration of learning and discovery.

Deidre Maree:

The subject of this exhibition is the medium.  The concept is to record an investigation into oil paint, and to acknowledge that the process of exploration and discovery is ongoing.  The painted solution to a visual reference will take different forms along my painting journey. Through constant dialogue with the medium a rich, truly crafted, painterly surface is sought.

Since the work is figurative, the stimuli for each of these investigative pieces are the photographs taken and the interpretations and memories of what has been seen. The very personal act of witnessing and recording is then expressed through a manipulation of compositional elements to demonstrate a response to space, colour, light and form. By representing the natural and emotional world with dignity the painting becomes a description of both the physical and metaphysical, and a reflection of a state of being.

Suraya Tewary:

My body of work is a seemingly material one of images and moments from everyday life – a string of visual patterns of my surroundings, of the space, colour, light and form which shapes and informs my emotional landscape through the medium of paint.

It is however, a desire to physically and emotionally examine the image and subject matter, and find a way through my process of photographing, editing and paint application to convey the emotive stimuli behind the memory of these images.

My work aims to create a space for balance, contemplation and self-observation. A space for momentary stillness and immersion, when noise and voices recede and we are left bare, with the simple act of observation and reflection.

June 2015

The exhibition closes on Saturday, 10 October at 2p.m.

"Exhale"

“Exhale”

Curated by: Grace Kotze

26 May – 14 June 2014

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Unthinkingly artists are hemmed in by the way we see, feel and create. The external voices of cultural norms, the need to make money, ethical judgments, relationships, and academic judgment etc. so often sneak into the creative realm. Thus clipping one’s authentic exploratory intentions and obscuring ones vision. Being an artist is one of the most romanticised professions where the creative process is viewed as a relaxed and easy flowing process. The intensity involved in the learning, refining and developing of one’s craft is vastly taxing and time consuming especially with the battle against external voices and how to placate them in ones journey as an artist.  

The shows intentions are to prompt artists to take a deep breath reassess what the process of making art means to their true intentions, and then work from that place. Exhale examines this through printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and painting. The invited artists are Suraya Tewary, Deidre Maree, Louise Jennings, Jane Oliver, Jeannie Kinsler, Vulindlela Nyoni, Darren van der Merwe, Marlene de Beer, Chris de Beer, Kristin Hua Yang, Sarah Lovejoy, Elizabeth Balcomb, Peter Rippon, Grace Kotze, Sarah Richards, Kim Goodwin and Jackie Freer.

To “Exhale” means very different things to each individual and vary during the individuals creative journey. For some the journey may lead to a break from the academia and time to play or reinvent a more commercial style. Other artists found themselves exploring new materials or subjects while others worked in partnership with others or academic processes. 

While attempting to ‘exhale’, many of the artists find the process of connecting to a freedom and shift in perceptions anything but exhaling but rather another type of toiling. One that produced many struggles in order to inhabit a space, were it is easy to breathe personal concerns. “Exhale” is a show about letting go of an area that became stifling that so often happens when one is faced with the multifaceted world of the fine artists. 

Sarah Lovejoy sculptures and Kristin Hua Yang paintings

“Gather” a collection of artists

In the Main Gallery:

“Gather” a collection of artists

24 March - 12 April 2014

This exhibition presents a group of artists, facilitated by Grace Kotze, who choose to paint together and exhibit as a collective. “Gather” represents a cross section of creative spirits, from beginners to exhibiting artists who enjoy the experience of learning and growing through the process of a collective exploratory experience. 

The exhibitors display a very strong sense of “self” within the group, which describes the many personal journeys each artist pursues. Such individual identity presents an exhibition of great diversity.

This show is a celebration of the creative nature of the human spirit and the will to reach for more than what the structure of the day-to-day presents. Artists vary in age from teenager to retiree yet all possess the same will to explore create.

Participating artists: Yasmin Khan, Ingrid Adams, Patricia Lategan, Michelle Offerman, Gil Sevel, Julie Mayo, Val Fields, Shirley Yell, Alex Coutts, Suraya Tewary, Deidre Maree, Anne Reardon, Pippa Styles and Megan Bonnetard.

"Decipher" Grace Kotze, Deidre Maree, and Suraya Tewary 28 October – 16 November

"Decipher" - Grace Kotze, Deidre Maree, and Suraya Tewary

"Decipher" showcases the paintings of Deidre Maree, Suraya Tewary and Grace Kotze. Three artists who share their emotional grappling through the unraveling of paint using subjects such as interiors, rubbish dumps, the human form, rural and urban landscapes.

A common visual and emotional exploration brings these three women together, where each artist approaches painting from the position of a student. Thus allowing the process to dominate rather than depict a predetermined conclusion, resulting in paintings that do not preach of the defined, but question and explore.

A further link is the artist’s love and exploration of paint as a subject. All three women share a delight and curiosity about the language that paint’s properties and application holds. Resulting in the content of some works being more about the language of paint, rather than the illustrative role of a painting.

Ultimately the show portrays three artists’ personal journeys to understand, decipher and interpret using paint as a visual conduit making their individual voices heard.