Arriving at Restaurant La Bonne Table, I’m enthusiastic to finally get a glimpse of Namibian artist Jacquie Tarr’s first solo exhibition ‘Sketches From Life’.
Yep, you read correctly. This is her first solo show! Romanticists, classicists and modernists alike, you have been given the permission to hold up your paintbrushes and dance around a bonfire like there is no tomorrow.
Tarr is well-known for her group exhibitions since the late 1980s but branching out on her own for this new project was an excellent decision. The ‘sold’ stickers on 90% of the collection clearly testify to that.
Before I embrace the world of still lifes and landscaping, I humbly ask a charming waiter to be my guide and he obliges, to my absolute delight. He accompanies me inside and I am impressed at how the earth tones of the exhibition coincide with the theme of the restaurant.
It is such a relaxed environment that I am dying to sit around the balcony while sipping tea Kermit-style, but unlucky for me, time is of the essence and articles do not write themselves. Bummer.
From close observation, I notice the integration of charcoal, acrylic pen and watercolour, and I simply have to put it out there – the results are absolutely remarkable. Again, I spot a certain degree of precision and cringe at the amount time spent huddling in a quiet corner somewhere, tummy tightened at the thought of a watermark out of place. But sometimes that is the beauty of art. A moment’s mistake can be the perfect ingredient to a piece you so ambiguously visualised in the mind’s eye.
Unfortunately for me, the waiter must depart on an endeavour of mezze platters and parsnips (eh, who knows what people eat these days), but I continue nonetheless.
‘Sketches of Life’ is a reflection of nature around us, from a family of gemsbok to the parade of elephants on the way to the waterhole. The price? N$350. Pretty affordable, especially if you are eager to spruce up your home and integrate some Namibian flair.
Picking a favourite is difficult, but I yearn for a piece titled ‘Springbok’. It screams incompleteness and blobs of brown – anyone could possibly see that – but looking beyond the norm is where the creativity lies. ‘Springbok’ is elegant, lively and the lack of borders show just how unrestricted this piece is. There are no other words to put it: it’s free. And so are those springbok. From what I can see, they are paused in a silent moment to observe the grassy savannah that they have found themselves in.
Are they trying to scope out danger because they want to protect their young? Have they travelled far and wide to search for water and are at the point of giving up? Does the lack of green grass signify the absence of rain? Or are these two springbok content with where they are?
So many questions can derive from one picture and the fun part is that you can interpret it however you want.
This is one of the many beauties that rest behind ‘Sketches of Life’. Your imagination is free to run wild. After all, nature and freedom are just some of the things that scream life.
I can almost picture it now: fingertips guiding the watercolour to a path of its own, simultaneously creating a structure or form out of the simplest idea.
Another appealing piece that I happened to spot is titled ‘Cheetah’ (ha, get it?). Already sold for N$500, this one is a joy to interpret. The cheetah with no name stumbles upon an intruder from behind, but its eyes are black and curious, almost giving the impression that he/she is sad. It’s hard to tell. But hey, you’re the viewer so the power is in your hands.
Moving on, a chocolate-brown object happens to be placed next to this said cheetah and it’s almost impossible not to wonder what that is. A person hanging upside down? Nope. A leafless tree stump lain bare in the scorching heat forcing the cheetah to perch beside it in confusion? Probably. Or not. Well, who knows? That shadowy figure will forever remain a mystery unless you’ve got it all figured out.
Ah, and I cannot forget an interesting pair of birds caught midway on their journey to wherever the winds take them. Because what’s freedom without birds, right?
Expect a mesh of light umber tones, burnt and raw, to create an exhibition that offers a glimpse into Tarr’s sketch of life.
Interestingly enough, the proceeds from the sale of these pieces will go to the Namibian Have-A-Heart project, which is basically a non-profit animal welfare organisation that ‘encourages responsible pet ownership and offers spay and neuter services to pet owners with little or no income’.
If you’re ready and willing to support the cause, head over to the Restaurant La Bonne Table before the 8 August when the exhibition closes.
