Artist's Statement:

The exhibition “omgekeerd” flickered to life when returning home after an extended sojourn outside South Africa. The title of the exhibition “on the contrary” also related to the Momentum Aardklop25 festival theme of “What Lies Beneath.”

My research and encounters with homeless people in make-shift dwellings in Paris, begged for a new perspective upon my return. Homecoming was an experience of disorientation – a feeling of being suspended. New work towards “omgekeerd”, challenged the emotional understanding of the sanctity of home. The problem of an anchored existence is globally highlighted by issues of social disruption, often by factors beyond an individual’s control. However, there is also a legacy of willingly surrendering comfort, for the purpose of understanding unfamiliar worlds. The discomfort of travel raises personal questions and may offer new insights into one’s sense of belonging. 

In my own studio, I delved into memories of my navigation via maps in the Drakensberg.  These artworks include places where my late husband and I had hiked. Linear elements echoed my collection of old “Slingsby” maps and my memory of walking the mountains. My multiple experiences of hiking and travelling challenges the perception of space and one’s ego in the larger scheme of things. The images of tents being blown away in “Makeshift” and “The trail” became metaphors for our world of unease and discord. These works expressed my strong awareness of our malleable identities, and how we constantly tinker to find our position in society. In “omgekeerd” this iterative process reflects on the impact of place and relations as constantly evolving. 

When hiking in unfamiliar terrain, one seems hyper-alert to find the way, often reliant on devices and co-travellers. Eventually, you flow into meditative silence. I used the tortoise shell in “Becoming Mountain" as a metaphor for slow time and site. Both this drawing and “The trail” extended beyond the images, as the paper was a collaboration with Phumani Papers. I embedded snippets of drawings, layering the paper into an organic ‘terrain’. Colour drawings were made on rice paper, gifted by another artist; thus, the action of creating material was contemplative and interwoven.

The installation "Al lê die berge nog so blou" consisted of an ‘isodome’ tent, used over two decades whilst camping. This tent, in its apparent flimsy materiality, was a place of safety. The six panels, rendered in charcoal and beeswax, tracked walking routes and contour lines referencing trails. In the tent were pre-loved maps, mattresses, and a backpack. The tent installation with chair became an interactive resting space for festival viewers, where many people shared their stories of the ‘berg’. Here the diverse recollection with a public beyond the art world formed a kinship and was an opportunity for newcomers to learn about how art conveys lived experiences. 

In preparation, I visited ‘Snowflake’ in Potchefstroom and recorded details of this historical venue dating back to 1921. Documentation of the scars and scratches on beams is an abstract record of history. The patina and marks on the pillars of the building resonated with topographical maps in the artworks in the installation. The exposed bricks and metal fixtures recall the old mill as a site of labour and human relationships. The mounting on 30cm threaded rods of the painterly drawing “You will always be in contact” created an ethereal rendition of my personal history and took cognisance of the unknowable stories of other lives that had passed through this space. The artworks underscore the philosophy of "revitalising effects" but not resemblance, as phrased by Martin Crowley (2013:372, in Deleuze on Painting 67: 3, July:371-385). My aim was to contribute to the resonance and energy of specific spaces and facilitate socio-cultural reflection. 

The well-attended exhibition opening of “omgekeerd” at the Snowflake Venue in October 2025, was opened by Dr Combrink. Network24 published the review titled “Snowflake will turn your earthbeat upside down” and in Afrikaans “Dié visuele kuns by Snowflake sal jou Aardklop omkeer.” The exhibition “omgekeerd” took place alongside a group exhibition “Vice Versa”, which I curated with the concept of a dialogue between worlds. Both my curated and solo exhibitions were nominated as best exhibitions alongside those of Clinton Lubbe and Jaco van Schalkwyk, who eventually was the winner. 

Review on NETWERK24 : "Dié visuele kuns by Snowflake sal jou Aardklop omkeer" deur Susan Villiers, Beeld, 8/10/2025. 
Referenced in Diana de Beer. 2025. Aardklop punches above its weight, in De Beer Necessities.  28/10/2025.