Sonja Swanepoel

Artist Catalogue

Virtual Exhibition

AVIAN

“What does it mean,

that the earth is so beautiful

and what shall I do about it,

What is the gift that I should bring to the world

What is the life that I should live “?

Mary Oliver – Long Life 

 

As a Sculptor and Landscape Architect our natural world remains the most relevant topic for me to comment on. I’m an environmentally conscious artist and hope to affect change through my work, as I believe art can be powerful enough to inspire acts of restoration.

 

The thematic underpinning of my work ultimately centres around reconnection to nature and the interconnectedness of all things. By studying forms in nature, I see connections between us and other species.

 

My sculptures are intended to convey certain ecological messages regarding our deteriorating relationship with nature by reflecting on certain aspects in society to inspire acts of restoration and conservation.

 

In this series I focus on how industrialised farming and food production worldwide cause ecological and physical decline of all living species and habitats.  In Gallus explore our physical symbiotic relationship with chickens. Avis refers directly to bird species extinction.

 

While thousands of wild birds are becoming extinct each year, the estimated chicken numbers have reached 60 billion, but most lead terrible lives on chicken factory farms as they are bred solely for our consumption. 

 

Materiality is important to my work.  Clay is tactile, drawn from the earth and the scaffolding of life on earth and was specifically important when doing the Gallus series as it comments on all living species connection to land and how the environment is negatively affected if this bond is broken. The sculptures are monochromatic, and this colour and surface continuity allows me to create different forms from different angles in juxtaposition that could potentially amplify the qualities of discomfort/confinement etc that I hope to express.

 

It allows one to focus an awareness on form, line, and light. I’m fascinated how reflection and shadow can make sculpture more alive and dynamic. The sometimes-smooth reflective texture serves as a mirror, reflecting our own image back to us, as we tend to believe we are not personally responsible for this loss/destruction in our natural world.

I limit the use of armature as I believe my sculpture’s form should be strong enough to defy gravity and stand on its own, like trees in nature and fit together like puzzle pieces to support each other and form a collective. The work is usually multi-dimensional with no specific top or bottom and delicately balanced, just like our natural ecology. As is nature, my last work informs me of the next one in an ongoing cycle of continuity and evolution.

 

Ultimately my work is my own understanding of the truth.

 

Environmentally Conscious Art is an integral part of Contemporary Art Practice.

 

Technology, Research, Content, Narrative, Installation, and Interaction with the viewer are all y concepts that influence my work. I temper my art with concerns for scale, proportion, and mass, that is a result of my architectural past. My work is this symbiosis.

 

I believe in art’s poetic ability to elevate and transcend. I focus on animals to convey their beauty, purity, and innocence.  The sculpture itself should emanate confidence in nature, kindness, and existential calm.