The world of “Mirror,” an exhibition by Adele van Heerden that sinks into the interplay between water, light and reflections. After a year long journey that began in Paris, where the artist painted the city’s iconic swimming pools, Adele shifted her focus to the coastal shorelines and the local municipal swimming pool in Cape Town.
As a passionate swimmer herself, Adele intimately connects with these spaces using he sketchbook and camera to observe and engage. The resulting mixed-media artworks aim to capture the essence and mood of these environments, with the water’s surface acting as a mirror that reflects the surrounding elements.
Metaphorically, this mirror extends to the idea of individuals reflecting personas and experiences, creating a dynamic energy transfer of seeing and being seen. Astrida Neimanis’ insightful writing frames the conceptual underpinning of the exhibition, emphasizing the fluid nature of embodiment and the interconnectedness of all beings.
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In addition to Adele’s signature techniques using pastel, colour pencil, ink, and gouache on film, “Mirror” introduces her latest printmaking explorations in collaboration with Cape Town print studios. The exhibition showcases monotypes created with Georgina Berens at Loft Editions and the artist’s first lithograph with Stephen Inggs at The Print Kitchen, adding a new dimension to her artistic repertoire.
One series within the exhibition, titled “Modulations,” walks into the distortions and abstractions of shapes within swimming pools. Adele freezes the undulating lines of tiles, lanes, and the interior architecture of pools in time, capturing the dynamic essence of these aquatic spaces.
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The exhibition will be held at 131 A Gallery, located at 131 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock. The opening is scheduled for 3rd February 2024, from 11 am to 2 pm, and will run until 1st March 2024.
