Anneke Bester’s creations mesmerise Dubai audience
SHARJAH: One of the most widely admired and respected sculptors and painters, Anneke Bester, is hugely appreciated for her work in Dubai. She has been in the region for more than a decade. Anneke’s work can be noticed in and around Dubai. Her work focuses on celebrating femininity in all its aspects, sculpting gorgeous female forms in sensual poses.
Anneke is also a featured artist for a Dubaibased art gallery, Studio Seven. She has been associated with the studio for some time. In the past, she has done group exhibitions twice which was highly appreciated by the art lovers.
Praising the artist, Jamal Ferozie, owner of Studio Seven, said, “The way she works is amazing. If you come and see her work physically you will be amazed to see that. It is not easy to handle works of bronze. It is very hard to handle it.” The studio is also planning to host another exhibition with Anneke Bester. Talking about the forthcoming project, Jamal said, “ We are hosting her exhibition once again in the 4th quarter of 2019. Themes will be the same but the concept would be different. Meanwhile, she is also working on many new artworks.”
Anneka sees the female in its internal beauty and core driving force that only a female sculptor can explore to its full extent. She is pro femininity. Anneke doesn’t see the female form as an object but as a vessel of female energy that can be exuded in various forms and applications.
In her most recent work, Anneke develops the female energy of nature and depicts the female forms as daughters of Mother Earth. In her previous series she put the spotlight on modesty and our perception of nudity vs. being covered with a series of works inspired by life in the Middle East, exploring how cultural tradition can still allow women’s inner beauty and strength to shine through whatever the outer covering is.
If you look at her glorious career, you will see that Anneke has spent many years working as a woman in the male-dominated commercial side of the arts, from The Court Theatre to movies like The Hobbit. Anneke has always strived for female equality with feminine energy.
Anneke’s work was celebrated with a public art commission in New Zealand with 8 heraldic figures and the much-admired Mad Haters tea party in the Hamilton Gardens. In Dubai she was commissioned to sculpt eight bronze lifesize falcons by Emaar, for the Dubai Mall, currently the biggest mall in the world. Her work was exhibited in private collections in Hong Kong, South Africa, Mozambique, Dubai, Australia, and New Zealand, UK. She has been sculpting and painting since she was 16 years old, when she was accepted into art school (Pro Arte; School of Art, Music, Ballet and Drama). She studied theatre for three years ater that.
Since then she has travelled to over 30 countries, and worked in four of them. Born in 1974, in South Africa, she travelled to Namibia in 1982. She also travelled to Turkey and Greece in 1998. In 2002, she emigrated to New Zealand. Anneke Bester’s name is not new to the Dubai audience, she has been involved in Dubai through various mediums. She took up a decorating contract in Dubai in 2005 and 2006.
In 2008, she accepted a commission of eight lifesize falcons for a public art piece in bronze for Dubai Mall’s main entrance and exhibited at 4 Walls Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE. She did a group exhibition at Studio Seven in Dubai in 2017 and 2018, where she received huge appreciation from the art lovers. Talking about that exhibition, Jamal said, “People were in awe of her crat. We got lots of visitors who only came to witness her work. It was extraordinary work.” In 2017, she was also commissioned by Hamilton City Council to sculpt a series of sculptures for the Mansfield Gardens. In the same year, she was also commissioned to sculpt a lifesize cheetah in stainless steel for Dubai Safari Park.
So far, her work has been represented by a number of galleries worldwide that includes apart from Studio Seven in Dubai, Form Gallery, Arts in Oxford Gallery, Bryce Gallery in Christchurch, Artpost in Hamilton, Windsor gallery in Christchurch, York Street Gallery in Timaru, Vesta Design Store in Queenstown, Eade Gallery in Clyde, Souls gallery in Hamilton, Tait Gallery in Hanmer, and Art Cato in Loule Portugal.