I was born and raised in South Africa. After school I probably disappointed my level-headed dad by heading off to study Theology (the study of religious belief systems). I spent six years asking big, unanswerable questions and trying to construct solid theoretical walls around life’s blurry bits. Naturally, it was never going to hold and, in the course of time, this awkward edifice duly collapsed under the weight of its own folly. Fortunately mankind has thought of something for people like me to do. It’s perfect for those who close their eyes while running. And so it was that I fell back into the arms of art.
I have always been a prolific generator of flops and, in this respect, the following few years was certainly productive. I told myself that flops are proof that I don’t know what I’m doing; that I’m not in control. In art, this is supposed to be a good thing. Amidst the accumulating flops, I also studied painting and Art History. Eventually something somewhat interesting coalesced in the course of all this messy endeavor and I was given my first solo exhibition. It was a big milestone for me. I suddenly felt far less awkward calling myself an ‘artist’. Looking back it was probably the moment I really became an artist; when I truly embraced it as an identity and a life’s mission.
In the years since there have been more exhibitions, an MFA degree and many years spent living in the US and UK. I am a rather restless experimenter and my work has shifted significantly over the years. To me, this seems like the natural course of things. I have changed a lot over the years and the things I make are bound to reflect this. For most of my career I have focused on painting, but in recent years I have become very invested in sculpture.
So here I am, decades after that first solo show - the moment I first felt like a real ‘artist’ - back in South Africa, perhaps ever so slightly the wiser and still busily making stuff.
