Ruminations on life, death and the time between

In artist Barbara Böhlke’s ‘The Time Between’, the enigma of life, death and the people who’ve left is rendered in ochre pigments, acrylic paint, charcoal and ash.

Having opened to a full house crowded around a series of mostly abstract and enthralling frames at The Project Room on Saturday, ‘The Time Between’ is the latest solo from the seasoned artist and educator.

From the slightly elevated gallery doorway, Böhlke’s palette is dominated by the rich reds, deep oranges and bright yellows of the ochre pigments she sources from north-west Namibia.

Ochre pigments are traditionally used by the Ovahimba in their creation of the deep red otjize that colours their skin and protects them from the harsh desert environment.

“Barbara is constantly experimenting with the pigments to see how far she can push those basic colours and has managed to achieve the blues, pinks, purples and greens you see today by mixing them with ash and charcoal,” says Böhlke’s long-time friend Philippe Talavera at the exhibition opening.

“You can appreciate the scope and richness of those colours in works such as ‘Beginnings’,” he adds.

‘Beginnings’, already boasting a red “sold” sticker, is Böhlke at her best. Abstract, textured and captivating in her intentional layering of pigment, paints, charcoal and ash, ‘Beginnings’ connotes the sunrise, hope and possibility of a start in a manner that causes patrons to pause.

In the wider gallery space, ‘Beginnings’ is in conversation with works such as ‘Farewell’, ‘In Memoriam’, ‘Passage’ and ‘Portal’, which suggest transition, endings and, indeed, death.

The time between is life itself – a changing, cyclical and fascinating existence defined by summertime, seeds, butterflies, metaphorical moths, promises, the grey sea, moments of solitude and stardust.

“The knowledge that everything is made of stardust is the driver behind this incredible body of work,” says Talavera. “Every atom of oxygen in our lungs, of carbon in our muscles, of calcium in our bones, of iron in our blood – was created inside a star before the Earth was born. We are all – past, present and future – the remnants of stardust.”

Philosophical but also deeply rooted in the Swakopmund born and raised artist’s own life, ‘The Time Between’ is connected to nature’s expanses in artworks such as ‘The Grey Sea’, which echoes the dynamism, depth and immensity of the artist’s inner world.

Though the exhibition’s colour spectrum largely has a bright and an uplifting quality, upon deeper reflection, the consummate showing also communicates a sense of mortality marked by a tinge of melancholy and departure.

Böhlke has held several solo shows in Namibia and has exhibited in South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, France, Germany, England and Italy. The artist has taught art at the Barbara Böhlke Art School since 1997 and, in ‘The Time Between’, the teacher is, in fact, the master.

“This exhibition is an invitation for each one of us to reflect on the time within – on the beauty of life,” says Talavera of ‘The Time Between’, which closes on 7 September.

“It is a reminder for each one of us to look around us more, to connect with both one another and with nature. To remember that we belong. To be conscious of both our vulnerability and our resilience. To remember that we are all made of stardust.”

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