Monday, June 7, 2010

Mermaids and Mountains: Nicolaas Maritz


Mermaids and Mountains, an exhibition of paintings by Darling-based artist Nicolaas Maritz, will be opening this Wednesday June at the Kalk Bay Modern.
Maritz is a recognised South African artist whose work features in every major public and private collection in South Africa. His work is bold, brightly coloured and most often tongue-in-cheek – he finds humour to be a vital tool as an artist or ‘visual synthesizer’ and his 30 year career has allowed him to accumulate the rich and somewhat esoteric artistic code or language. Over the years these visual narratives have grown and multiplied in an organic manner enhancing the depth and complexity of his work.
He has worked with a variety of media but has a longstanding passion for enamel on board, often using simple house-paints as he did when experimenting in his parent’s garage when he was young. He has a particular fondness for certain traditional colours and has a deep interest and rich knowledge of their origins.
Maritz has been having annual studio exhibitions at the MSG, (MARITZ STUDIO GALLERY) in Darling since 1992. He won the NCSS CBC Notable Children's Trade Book Award (USA) in 1992 and the Parents' Choice Illustration Honor (USA) in 1994.  He has exhibited widely, including the Valparaiso Biennale and the Cape Town Triennials.

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