“Rendered” by mies

28 October - 22 January 2023

I witnessed violence in front of my house, snarling at me from the sidewalk. It had penetrated into the very depths of my being. I feel things deeply. Heartache and joy. 

The night of this event I sat at my kitchen counter sobbing, trying to take stock of what I had seen, and I realised I had to hold myself accountable to not just be a consumer of the situation. Being moved by something, and not reacting on it, not letting it change me completely devalues it. Awe, or shock, or inspiration can be misleading. You see, it has all the trappings of impact, it feels significant, but they are just ripples on the surface if we don’t consciously decide how these encounters will shape us. Feelings wear off. They are not the measure of big moments in our lives. I think the greatest moments in our lives are when character is formed, when we are rendered new.

Ek het al baie dinge gewigtig gevoel. Mense laat my gereeld bewoë. My hartsnare roer in die ligste briesie. Maar soos ek ouer word besef ek die oomblikke maak dalk van my ‘n gek - skouspel van die aand, as groot emosies die omvang van hulle is.

Dis gierig, ondankbaar selfs, om merkwaardige dinge te gebruik, vir die vermaaklikheid daarvan. Ons is te heilig om ons harte te ruil in goedkoop transaksies met ‘n vraat soos sensasie. Mag die dinge wat ek voel, my verander - maar laat my nie heen en weer beïnvloed word nie. Laat alles wat ek so hartstogtelik voel, my maak soos iemand wat liewer en liewer het.

Whatever these works awake in you, I hope you’ll leave a more refined rendition.

ALLSORTS, 1.8x2.5m, Acrylic on canvas

There was a brief moment where I thought about making paintings of once everyday things that Covid had taken away from me. One of these losses was the experience of crowds. Man, I love the atmosphere of people gathered. But then I realised, I did’t even know how much I valued this phenomenon until after lockdown. In a sense, Covid had actually given me the joy of the masses. Because there was a brief moment in time where our streets were empty, I am able to appreciate their occupants more today than before. Essentially then, this could be a piece about what was lost, but I prefer to see it as a piece about what I had found. Also - whether we are headed in polar opposite directions, in a hurry or super intentional with our one and wild life, we all look a little like liquorice allsorts to the birds. There’s something poetic about that to me. I hope it brings you joy.

UNEARTHLY SLOW (1), 2x2m, Acrylic on canvas

I had been exploring the idea of crowds for a while before making these. Their predecessors were oversimplified, and for a moment I questioned whether that was because of artistic intent or because I thought I couldn’t manage the detail of limbs and intricacies of body language. We exist within community. Our value is inherently linked to give it away. I’ve painted many portraits of many beautiful people, but these feel like an ode to the South African. Spread your towel, let someone obstruct your view, see yourself here. There is something so rare, so ethereal about humans slowing down. For some reason ‘no man is an island’ keeps popping into my mind, perhaps every man should be the beach. 

THE KINDNESS OF EYES, 1.8x1.8m, Acrylic on canvas

She was home in honesty
She could rest in the discomfort of truth
But she knew opinions often had little value
So she let hers fall to the ground
and allowed herself the chance to listen

DIASEC PRINTS
The diasec prints are made from original paintings by Mies.
40x40cm, Acrylic on canvas