The beachfront muse
Sculptures made of wood and enamel on industrial wheels dot the floor at Kalashnikovv Gallery in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, where artist Kylie Wentzel’s exhibition SALT has been on show since the beginning of May.
One is a massive heart with the words “I Love You”, another is a lion named Lion of Judah, and another looks like a curled-up dragon. On the walls, the artist has mounted massive acrylic on canvas paintings that are colourful and delightfully playful. One, pictured at right, depicts a woman taking a public shower; the background mimics the granite or marble mosaics you’d see at a public swimming pool or beach.
SALT stands for “sweat, sea, slap chips”, according to the Michaelis Art School graduate now based in Durban, her home town. “When I moved back from Cape Town, I was pressing linocuts into paper in my parents’ kitchen with my elbows, feet and some cooking utensils. I had this urge to loosen up the process, make bigger works and explore a new way of creating that I had no formal training in.”
Natural and constructed environments inspire her work. This is abundantly clear in SALT, a body of work she describes as “a mirage-meets-documentary style painting exhibition that explores Durban’s beachfront.”
“It’s a place I’ve been connected to since my first days. It holds many elements,” she says, referring to the way she turns to her surroundings for inspiration, focusing on space, personal connections, observations, stories, objects, structures and reflection.
The beachfront, both serene and chaotic at any given time of day, is many things to a lot of people. Wentzel finds the diversity fascinating. “It’s a public space for performance, healing, tradition, fitness, shelter, leisure and income. It’s a world of its own within the urban cosmos.”
“I live close by, so I go there a few times a week. It’s great to go before you start your day, or to end it off, or when you’re feeling happy, or sad, or when you’re craving a cream soda float. When I’m there, I go for a walk on the promenade and find a spot to sit at the end of the pier between small fish carcasses and dried bubblegum, taking in the colours that set behind the cityscape.”
Describing her work, Wentzel says: “My work Dogs and Fitness references panting dogs and their humans that venture out of the suburbs in their packs to break a sweat. I Love You and Lion of Judah both reference the sand sculptures that border the promenade — their visuals of wild beasts, love letters, motor vehicles and advertisements are important details in the experience of the space.”
What would she miss most if she had to leave Durban again? “The people. The humidity on your skin;, Panaji’s veg korma; the sun that hits different palm trees; monkeys feeling at home in your kitchen; lusting over woven furniture on the side of the road; that iconic, worn-down muscular rugby player mural on Umgeni Road; taxi vibrations,” among a long list, and, of course, long walks on the beachfront.