Artist comes home to plate up his exhibition

MBOMBELA - Renowned artist John-Anthony Boerma’s multifaceted journey started here and has spanned continents.

Now he is coming home to exhibit his Love is a Dangerous Drug collection at the White River Gallery.

The director of the White River Gallery, Dana MacFarlane, said, “This is a first for the White River Gallery. We are proud to present this unique exhibition of hand-painted clay plates.”

Forming part of his master of visual arts degree (Unisa), the collection of 200 gold-trimmed vessels was meticulously produced over a period of more than a year, with each plate taking three days to complete, including two firings.

Evocative text recalled from songs have been transcribed onto the plates in Boerma’s childlike print.

Boerma studied painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture as well as history of art before leaving the country as a member of the End Conscription Campaign in the 1980s. He went from studying painting and illustration at the Akademie Minerva in the Netherlands to an independent study programme in New York at the

Cooper Union before returning to South Africa.

“I am excited to be exhibiting at the White River Gallery in the province that continues to inspire me. My collections of memories, as depicted in the words on the plates on display, depict the full circle of a road, my road, less travelled,” Boerma said.

The exhibition can be viewed at the White River Gallery from May 8 to 22. The gallery operates from 10:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 14:00 on Sundays. Walkabouts with the artist can be scheduled during the exhibition.