A pop-up art gallery, curated by the North-West University Gallery in Potchefstroom, has come to Stellenbosch at Clos Malverne in the Devon Valley, with an inaugural exhibition entitled  ‘A Void in the Landscape’.  The focus of the exhibition is Nature, we were told at the opening by its winemaker Suzanne Coetzee ten days ago.  The indoor and exterior exhibition runs until January.

The art is displayed both two-dimensionally inside the restaurant overlooking the vineyards and beautiful hills and mountains in the background, as well as three-dimensionally in the garden and the vineyards.  The exhibition was curated by Christina Naurattel of the North-West University Gallery, who said that it ‘is inspired by social perceptions of nature and how these perceptions stand in contrast to artistic representations of the natural environment‘.   She explained that the North-West University Gallery has 1100 works in its art collection, which has been represented in a coffee table book entitled ‘Looking back while looking forward’.   There is a good fit between the artworks and the Clos Malverne wines, and the theme of ‘Nature‘.

The work of seven artists was selected by Christina for the exhibition, being the following:

*   Stellenbosch-based internationally renowned  landscape artist Strijdom van der Merwe probably is the best known artist of the group chosen for the exhibition. He received the Jackson Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant in the USA and a medal of Honour from the South African Academy of Arts and Science.  Two days before the opening of the Clos Malverne exhibition Strijdom’s impressive urban art installation at the Stellenbosch Town Hall was opened, with media interest created when ANC demonstrators protested against its cost. Monies were mainly spent on the Town Hall transformation, which included the removal of the parking in front of the town hall, repainting the exterior and interior of the town hall, a relandscaped area outside it, the erection of a double-sided statue of Nelson Mandela, new meditation benches from which to enjoy the artwork, and the representation of the famous sentence spoken by Mr Mandela at his inauguration in 1994.

I was delighted to meet Strijdom at the Clos Malverne exhibition, having seen the TV news coverage about the reaction to his Mandela art work the night before.  I had been wanting to meet him ever since he was involved in the opening of Casparus Restaurant on Dorp Street, which was my favourite restaurant for a long time, until the service dropped to an unacceptable level, and the food preparation had lost its passion.  It was sad to hear that the restaurant will tie up with Sgt Pepper, making it student friendly, with burgers and pizzas, which will be prepared by Chef Etienne Bonthuys, once a Top 10 restaurant chef.   He has his eye on a new space in Stellenbosch, which Chef Etienne will open once his lease has ended.

The artwork by Strijdom at Clos Malverne was more difficult to see, being installed in the vineyard outside the restaurant, being poles shaped in the form of street lamps with angel wings in black and a white edge. It was fortunate to have Strijdom present, so that he could explain it.  He has called it ‘Heaven is a place on earth‘, which has a religious meaning for Strijdom.  He explained that he has attached solar lights to his installation, which lights up the wings at night. The art installation has a magnificent backdrop of the vineyards and Stellenbosch mountains in the background.

*   Gordon Froud is an Art lecturer at the University, and his artwork (main photograph) at Clos Malverne is i-cone-ic, and entitled ‘Cone Virus IV’. Unfortunately he was not on hand to explain it.

*   Wilma Cruise had the cutest fired clay sculpture in the garden leading to the entrance to the restaurant, called ‘The Caucus – Rabbit’, but no information was provided about it.  The media release says that she expresses her work in life-size sculptures, and won an award for her Women’s Monument at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

*   Marco Cianfanelli has achieved acclaim for his portrait sculpture ‘Capture’ in honour of Nelson Mandela’s 50th anniversary of his capture at Howick in 1962, and also did the leopard sculpture at Leopard’s Leap in Franschhoek.

*   Artist Rina Stutzer paints with acid on copper plate, which makes her work evolve through oxidation (right).

*   Retha Buitendach is passionate about focusing on conserving nature in her paintings.

*   Pauline Gutter‘s work is described as a ‘visual attack of marks and colour’.  She won the ABSA L’Atelier competition this year.

The opening of the pop-up art exhibition at Clos Malverne was an incentive to attend, to see the wine estate and to meet Strijdom, both for the first time!

‘A Void in the Landscape’, Clos Malverne, Devon Valley, Stellenbosch.  Tel (021) 865-2022. www.closmalverne.co.za  Twitter: @ClosMalverne Tuesdays – Sundays.  Exhibition ends end January 2014.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter:@WhaleCottage