Michèle permanently exhibits at the Ark Contemporary gallery in Rosendal. This is a must-visit.
ark Contemporary, which stands for art, rosendal, and kuns(art), first opened its doors in 2021. The gallery exhibits the work of a group of six renowned Rosendal artists. These artists have a variety of artistic backgrounds, and ark Contemporary gives them a space to collaborate and combine their various artistic viewpoints, as well as an exhibition area separate from their studios where Rosendal visitors can engage with their work.
The artists of Ark Contemporary:
Grietjie Lee is a multimedia artist who creates bas relief sculptures out of beeswax and tree gum. Targeted animals, or vermin, such as the Black Backed Jackal, provide a window into the conflict at the intersection of wild and contained. Lee’s abstract watercolour markings (Spo Robolus Africanus) were inspired by the indigenous Rat’s Tail grasses. These wild plants’ images are dissected, deconstructed, reinvented, and rearranged to form contained compositions.
Louis Olivier is a sculptor who mainly works in bronze and owns the Workhorse Bronze Foundry in Johannesburg. His sculptures are often beings that are both figurative and abstract. His drawings and collages are renditions of his sculptures. Louis is known for his collaborations with artists including William Kentridge, Wilma Cruise and Cobus Haupt.
Magda van der Vloed is a multifaceted artist who transforms objects from her imagination into the worlds of ceramics and paint, depicting our society’s vices and drawing the viewer’s attention to how we live in a perilous and precarious time. Her theme is inspired by her personal narratives while providing commentary on South Africa’s social-political context.
Michèle Nigrini, the first established artist to call Rosendal home, is a colourist who captures a personal response to her surroundings. Her approach is based on visual sensations and the play with line, colour, and structure, with mark making being the most fundamental element in her work. Her goal is not to imitate nature, but to capture its essence.
Stella Olivier is primarily a photographer who is interested in capturing evidence of stories unfolding in real time and becoming historic seconds later. She has photographed a number of local and international performers and artists. She also works with charcoal and ink on paper, combining images to create stories that never existed.
Wessel van Huyssteen is a multidisciplinary artist who uses intricate watercolour drawings to convey his interest in the landscape and the idea of space, place and non-place. Rayon and Viscose are the materials he uses for his current series, “The Stitch and the Din.” The vibrant colours are a shrill protest against the deforestation that these textiles’ production contributes to.
Monday: 10h00-14h00
Thursday: 10h00-16h00
Friday: 10h00-17h00
Saturday: 10h00-17h00
Sunday: 10h00-14h00
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Ark is closed, but as with everything else in Rosendal, someone will be there in a minute to open the gallery upon request.
342 Kriek Street (cnr of Kriek and van der Merwe St)
Contact Bev 079 587 6282
Instagram: arkrosendal
Facebook: arkContemporary
Michèle Nigrini 