Art show at Old Gaol kicks off on a high note
Forty local artists showcased their works at the Knysna Art Society’s second exhibition of the year, titled “Monochromatic”, at the Old Gaol Museum on Thursday 12 April.
There was live music by Brent Kozak of Brent and Lorette and baskets of delicious “black and white” bread courtesy of Ille De Pain in keeping with the monochromatic theme, prepared by “DJ Toast” aka Jannie Uitlander the artist, and drinks.
The society’s chairperson Ricardo van Lingen said they as the new society are still finding their feet and learning a lot in the process and thanked everyone who has been supporting them thus far.
Tivan van Dyk, one of the artists exhibiting, said, “It’s an honour to have my works here tonight. I have been doing art all my life and have had exhibitions all over and if I had to define what art means to me in one word, I would say it means ‘happiness’.”
Tonya Laure-Smith, who was head over heels after making a purchase and was even heard saying, “My husband is going to kill me” said, “What compelled me to buy the artwork is the need to support our local artists, the material costs a fortune and if we don’t support them they can’t live off their work and our artists need to stop undervaluing themselves. All the works inside are amazing.”
Dr Martin Young also attended the opening night and said the exhibition was fantastic. “This is an outstanding exhibition and this is not a criticism but a wish – I do wish that upcoming exhibitions could be more inclusive of multicultural artists. I am sure that would have the backing of the Knysna Municipality.” The exhibition, which runs until 23 May, looks to be a promising one for the gallery and artists, with several sales already on the opening night.