Selected Exhibitions:
2011
Assemblage Woman’s Festival Exhibition, Drakensberg, South Africa.
Assemblage Launch Event, Main Street Life, Johannesburg, South Africa.
2008
Sites of Memory, Thompson Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa.
2007
Exhibited in and Co-curate Three Abreast: side by side and facing the same way, Museum Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Exhibited in, co-organised and co-curate Work In Progress. Johannesburg, South Africa. Participated and exhibited in RE/action performance workshop and exhibition. Bag Factory Johannesburg, South Africa.
Martienssen Prize Exhibition. WSOA, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lost and Found workshop and exhibition, Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Exhibited in and co-organised Collaboration An Exhibition Of Young Artists, 9 Wolmarans street, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Wits School of Art Student Exhibition. WSOA, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Martienssen Prize exhibition. WSOA, Johannesburg, South Africa.
2006
Wits School of Art Student Exhibition. WSOA, Johannesburg, South Africa
Which new trends or South African artists do you find inspiring at the moment?
Currently, the organization Assemblage which is run by young South African artist is particularly inspiring. This organisation facilitates peer mentoring meetings and workshops which are both beneficial and vital for practicing artists to get feedback on artwork and to learn new skills.
Which South African deceased artist do you most admire and why?
The first artist that comes to mind is Alan Crump. He was one of my professors during the completion of my degree, and I have had the privilege of being taught watercolour painting by this fantastic artist. It was professor Crump that opened up the possibility for me that watercolour painting needn’t be dull, generic landscape, they could be bright, potent paintings, and looking at Crump’s paintings one can see how he embraced this approach to the medium.
Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?
During my later years of high school, the art class was taken to see a Willem Boshoff exhibition at Museum Africa. The visit culminated in a talk by the artist. This exhibition was my first experience of conceptual art, and although at the time I was unaware, this exhibition influenced my art making throughout my studies at Wits, where I began to experiment with using text in my artworks and continued to do so over the four year degree. I admire Willem Boshoff as an artist and thinker, and the way he is able to make conceptually strong work which is aesthetically beautiful.
Where do you get your inspiration for your work?
My inspiration for my artwork comes from my surroundings. What I see, choose to focus on, or catches my attention in everyday life I am inspired by nature and humans and interaction.
Do you have any rituals or habits involving your art-making that you can tell us about?
At the start of 2011 I set a personal challenge to make an artwork a day. At the onset I did not stipulate parameters, but over time, the nature of this ritual is such that I make a small pen and ink drawing or a small watercolour and ink paintings (depending on how I feel or time available) of dried or dying flowers. Essentially I am dealing with the same subject matter every day which presents the challenge of expressing something so familiar to me in a new and exciting way.
What do you like most about being an artist?
Being an artist, I am so grateful that I have this gift to create something beautiful.
How do you handle bad days when you experience artist's block?
I once heard the singer songwriter Tori Amos, in an interview comment that she writes so much and out of all the material created, only some of it is usable. I believe that same applies for the visual arts. As an artist I make so much work and not all of it will be exhibition standards. But it is part of the process, knowing that sometimes an artist need to make unsuccessful work to progress to making something great.
Do you feel that you want to make a difference to the world or in people's lives? If yes, how?
Yes, this is why I have decided to return to university to become a teacher. Art is my passion and I feel that by being a (visual art) teacher I can make a contribution to society through teaching what I love.
What are your plans for the coming year?
My plans for the rest of 2011 are to make art while completing my PGCE and to exhibit my artwork wherever possible.