SCULPTORS ON THE CLIFF

I deconstruct my views, using fairy tales, wordplay, nursery rhymes, and icons to create conceptually layered works that foster positive resonance.
Working in bronze, I value its permanence and durability, choosing universal subjects over topical ones to ensure timeless relevance.

Nature and her children inspire Nel’s work, with the closed-eyed, barefoot child as a signature element.
Her sculptures, crafted from wood, cement, fabric, and resin, blend color and texture to create figurative,
doll-like forms. These curious figures explore theories of the human condition, focusing on the monumental
child self.

Jean Theron Louw, an architect with a passion for sculpting, won the Sanlam Africa Art Award while still in
school. She focuses on climate change, overpopulation, urbanization, water scarcity, and the need for sustainable living, aiming to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote green solutions.

My sculptures reflect my deep concern for the environment and human relationships. I seek to
imbue each piece with a soul that connects with the viewer. Through careful composition, I explore the tensions within forms and their relationships, capturing the essence of sculpture in space.

Marieke’s sculpture explores the layered experience of everyday life, using sculpted bodies to carry stories and dreams. Her work honors the past, preserves the present, and envisions the future, inviting powerful human-to-human dialogue through figurative sculpture, encouraging personalized, evolving narratives with each viewer’s instinctive recognition.

Hannelie Coetzee, a Johannesburg-based visual artist, creates public art using reclaimed industrial waste,
blending it with the environment. Her work merges environmental science and social action, aiming to foster
empathy for nature. Coetzee’s process is deeply rooted in research, considering the materials, context and impact on local communities.

Through the Disintegration Series, My Soul explores the beauty in brokenness, revealing strength and serenity in fragility. Sculpting with cut-out forms, they symbolize letting go of the past while transforming heavy materials into weightless, dynamic pieces. Their work defies tradition, embracing motion, possibility, and the art of resilience.

My work explores the self beyond vanity, using the self-portrait as a metaphor for metaphysical concerns.
Cats Cradle reflects an artistic egocentrism, where art serves to define meaning in an uncertain world. The animal, present in its absence, embodies this exploration of self and the unknown.

Using clay, textiles, and mixed media, I explore dreamscapes and animal presences, uncovering hidden patterns within the human psyche. These creatures serve as silent emissaries, bridging the conscious and unconscious, guiding us into the instinctual and phenomenal worlds beyond everyday awareness.

Exploring themes of anchoring and connection, I gather shapes, forms, and textures from wilderness areas.
In the studio, these elements are deconstructed and reassembled into a visual language, focusing on
portraying human figures with compassion and empathy, while emphasizing the nurturing and protection of hope in the human experience.