Now Showing: Promising Student and Vivid Veteran Art

As winter begins to tame city dwellers’ social lives, Windhoek’s visual art scene provides an eclectic indoor excursion.

From students making their National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) debut to veteran artists Andrew van Wyk and Pieter Basson offering retrospectives and novel explorations, art enthusiasts are invited to come in from the cold to consider some of the city’s newest and celebrated artists.

Mind-bending and metaphorical, Van Wyk takes patrons down the proverbial rabbit hole in ‘Art Through the Eye of An Artist’, which is currently on display in the NAGN’s lower gallery.

Presenting a selection of prints, paintings and lithographs inspired by diverse Namibian culture, politics, socio-economics, music, myth, rhythm and dance, Van Wyk’s retrospective also showcases a technique the artist has been refining on his farm near Rehoboth. The practice, which employs ground and sifted rock, celebrates the beauty of Namibia’s landscapes and culminates in a series of shimmering frames such as the staring and inquiring ‘Who are we! Where do come from! Where are we going to!’.

‘Art Through the Eye of An Artist’ will be on display at the NAGN until 14 June.

Down the road at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC), artist Pieter Basson presents ‘Agrafe’. Translated from French, the word ‘agrafe’ means staple or clip and speaks to how art connects ideas, experiences, memories and history to create a meaningful whole.

Tipping his hat to Picasso in ‘Memory of Picasso’ and exploring still life in the aesthetics of ‘Sour Champagne’, Basson also dabbles in some surrealism and impresses in his accomplished linocut prints. Evoking images of blue moons and sunny days, freedom, patience, hope and prayer, ‘Agrafe’ will be on show at the FNCC gallery until 22 May.

Back at the NAGN and also at the Namibian Arts Association (NAA), ‘Art Splash’, an annual College of the Arts student exhibition is currently on display. Featuring the work of the college’s second and third-year visual art and design students, ‘Art Splash’ is an introduction to some of the city’s budding young creatives.

The exhibition is curated by the two galleries and features paintings, drawings, prints, textiles, ceramics, sculptures, mixed media and jewellery at the national gallery and photography at the NAA.

Described as showcasing “the future of Namibian art’ in its considerations of the impact of social media, reimagining of black portraiture, promising documentary photography and in its stylish upcycled adornments, ‘Art Splash’ will be on display until 7 June.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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