Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Activist artist peels back the psyche for a cause
VISIONARY German artist and social activist SaySay.Love once again poses the question: “What is beautiful?” in
which opened on February 11 at Gallery One11, 111 Loop Street. It is on until March 9.
The project is an exploration of the valley separating the visceral experience and the unbridled expression of our innermost fears and desires.
Using an AI-assisted painterly approach in combination with digital photography, the artist says he shines a light on the archetypal twins of the psyche, “dancing on the edge of raging chaos, while moving gently to the tune of the tamed and civilised mind”.
“Each canvas shatters a dark mirror of restraint and breaks the window wide open into the wilderness of each subject’s soul, bringing it out to the shadow and on to the surface – a self-portrait of the unconscious.
“Looking at these pictures for a moment, they take me on a journey into the deepest darkest parts of my psyche. The place where all the pain, anguish and dark thoughts have at some point resided, the childhood bullies, the manipulators, the abusers, the people who wilfully harmed for their own gain, my own dark desires, which at times are more fearful than living perpetrators.
“My voice roars, standing tall, upright and strong… As my roar ends, my eyes find the woman, light, pure, full of love and I’m reminded as always that no matter how far I travel down into the madness, there is always a chink in the darkness where life shines in.
“And I know with every fibre of my being that love always wins, me a human filled with unfathomable love… equilibrium is restored,” says
SaySay.Love
South African artist Aniek Nieuwenhuis will be exhibiting some of her related work as part of this exhibition.
SaySay.Love says he chose to collaborate with Nieuwenhuis because there is a special synergy between the work they will be showcasing together.
“The images I have created for this project come from a raw place. Skin
digs into psychosomatic and fleshy layers of fear and pain.
“Aniek’s ability in expressing herself through deep alchemical dreaming shines through in her art. On some unplanned level, her story is also felt through the canvas of my creation.”
SaySay.Love has been supporting the Make a Difference (Mad) Leadership Foundation since 2017.
Proceeds of the sale of his work at Gallery One11 will go towards the foundation, which supports high school learners and tertiary students through their academic and personal journeys, ensuring that they have the necessary tools and opportunities to reach their potential.