I was asked to participate in a group exhibition at Trent Gallery in Pretoria, and this was quite a big thing for me as it is a well known gallery. So I decided to do it. And when I realized that I cannot do this in small scale, it became apparent that getting it to Pretoria might prove a challenge. But in the end it got there safely.
The theme was Prime Meridian, and I decided to symbolize myself, and what makes me tick, but also what labels me. The cat as center and focus of the work lying on a map of Cape Town, where I live, the ram signifying my star sign and the fish balance, yin yang. I used an origami crane to symbolize peace and also the origins of my love for paper. I started with origami after all when I had a massive creative block and could no longer find joy in painting. The tree of course symbolises the tree of life and knowledge. But also our origins as a species, all of us originating from the same tree. Klimt is present because he is my favourite artist, whose work has inspired for many years.
So the exhibition wasn’t successful for me, having to add the gallery commission made the piece very
expensive, and being an unknown artists, no one would spend that much! But, if I have to start working for sales, I can no longer enjoy it. So I stopped caring whether they sell or not, they bring me utter joy in the making of them.
