Joanne Reen
B Tech Fine Art 2008
I am a B.Tech Fine Art graduate who constantly strives to engage with the environment and my immediate surroundings. A recurrent theme in my work is the Eastern Cape landscape predominantly the harsh, unrelenting yet captivating landscape of the Karoo. My emotional attachment to the Karoo is deeply rooted in its wide open spaces and this remains a constant source of inspiration and connection.
I am currently focusing on a series of landscape paintings that relate to times of liminality, particularly the changing of light on the Karoo landscape after sunset.
Exhibitions:
Espac, PE - 2003, 2006, 2007 (merit award winner 2006)
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum - 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
Cuyler Street Gallery, Port Elizabeth - 2005
Ibis, Button and Owl Gallery, Nieu Bethesda - 2005
Kuhne Boekkooi Gallery, Port Elizabeth - 2005
Textures Gallery, Port Elizabeth - 2005, 2006
Sasol New Signatures finalist, Pretoria Art Museum - 2006, 2007
Inclusive books and art gallery, Nieu Bethesda - 2007, 2008, 2009
Nieu Bethesda Art Gallery, Nieu Bethesda - 2009
Absa L'Atelier finalist 2009 - Absa Gallery Johannesburg 2009
What is your favourite film of all time?!
Fight Club, It is a film about the human mind and many truths are spoken: Brad Pitt mentions , “ The more you have the less you have,” and this is something I can relate to.
What music are you currently listening to and why?
Anything with Tori Amos, she has a very strong, powerful voice.
Which living artists do you most admire and why?
Marlene Dumas as she is an internationally recognized, local artist and her works can be quite hard-hitting.
Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?
Marcel Duchamp, for pushing the boundaries of art. He was revolutionary!
Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?
Roger Ballen’s Shadow Chamber, it explores our dark sub-conscious that is often avoided as people are too scared to deal with it.
What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it?
“What does it mean?” and I answer back with another question “What does it mean to you”
What/ who inspired you to be an artist?
Nobody, I can’t imagine life without the creative process, it is something I just do. A day without art is a day wasted.
Can you tell us about where you make your art and what if any, the significance of this location is.
Most of the time I paint surrounded by nature. In Nieu Bethesda, the sky is an amazing blue that offers clarity – which influences not only my art!
What do you like most about being an artist?
It is a license to dream and to be ALIVE
What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
Being an ABSA L’Atelier finalist and my last, completed painting. You are only as good as your last artwork.
What are your plans for the coming year?
I don’t like a pre determined future so all my doors are wide open.