Limbo captured in Oakhill art
Pablo Picasso once said, “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist…” and when you experience the visual feast that is Oakhill School’s annual IEB Matric Art Exhibition, you will no doubt agree that you are glimpsing into the creative worlds of 16 young artists.
The power of the visual arts to enrich human experience and society is recognised and celebrated through the works of Oakhill’s 2019 matric art students Ava Bendon, Famke Beukes, Morgan Brymer, Neve Canny, Angelina Faria, Annabel Kay-Shuttleworth, Sarah Kemp, Gabriela Kilzer, Jenna Kitley, Paul Kotze, Ruan Kotzé, Daniel Orpen, Owen Poluta, Kristina Steward, Shantè Strydom and Tessa Weir-Smith.
Each year, Grade 12 art students exhibit their work for their final Independent Examination Board practical exam, which provides a structure within which the students have to work but also allows for much interpretative freedom. The theme for the examination work this year was “liminal space”, and it is intriguing to witness how each student has interpreted and presented this theme through their artistic creations, ranging from mixedmedia installations to abstract paintings and detailed drawings.
Art is a reflection of a person’s capacity for creative thinking and imagining, for problem-solving and creative judgement, and the works on exhibition are the products of students who are visually literate, culturally aware, lateral thinkers and creative problemsolvers.
Being able to think independently is the basis of creativity. Instead of telling these young artists what to think, the challenge of producing work for their art exhibition has engaged their minds to explore their own reactions to the given themes and to articulate them through the medium of their choice. Between them, these young artists have used their art to foster dialogue and bring important issues to the public eye such as alienation, cultural diversity, gender issues, reincarnation and mental issues.
Oakhill invites the Garden Route community to come and enjoy this visual feast on display at the upper level of the Knysna Mall – above the escalators, where the Standard Bank used to be.
Oakhill is very grateful to Excellerate Real Estate Services (JHI) for their support in hosting this year’s event, especially given that there are 16 young artists with large volumes of work to exhibit. The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday 26 October through to Saturday 2 November (closed on Sunday). Art lovers and guests are invited to stimulate their visual senses and thoughts, with yet another delightful exhibition by Oakhill’s matric art pupils – a treat not to be missed. –