The work of 13 artists who lived and worked together for 10 days at Baker’s Bay in the Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park, will be on display from 15 to 24 October at Beronnies, Oranjemund.
Set to officially open at 18h00 tomorrow, the exhibition will feature artwork in a variety of media and specialties that influenced the participants’ unique responses to the experience of the retreat and environment they were immersed in.
The artists are Hercules Viljoen, Kambezunda Ngavee, Isai Alfeus, Wayne Goliath, Rachel Sakeus, Elisia Nghidishange,
Ismael Shivute, John Kalunda, Nicky Marais, Maria Mbereshu, Ann Mary Gollifer, Mia Nel, and Jakobina Nashikwele Gideon.
Renowned Namibian artist Marias was quoted as saying: “Working outside, in beautiful places, alongside other artists is the ultimate joy, add to this communal living and surroundings full of fascinating forms (both human-made and natural) and you are close to my ideal working environment!”
They spent 1 to 16 October 2022 together in Baker’s Bay, which is an abandoned mining village. This remote environment meant that the retreat offered a chance for the artists to pursue their creative practice in an uninterrupted and dedicated manner. Artists used this opportunity to learn from each other and be inspired by the incredibly unique environment and its social history.
“The result is an exceptional exhibition of artworks that vary in style, medium and content, but share the same set of distinctive conditions that formed them. These artworks and the exhibition as a whole show that through art, complex themes and information can be highlighted, communicated and made accessible,” said a media statement jointly issued by StArt Art Gallery, OMDis’ Art Can Transform project, and Namdeb.
“This makes art the perfect conduit to spread the messages associated with the transformation of the diamond mining town of Oranjemund and the adjacent national park, of its unique history and significant environmental importance.”
The 2022 Baker’s Bay Artists’ Retreat is the second of its kind after the first held at Bogenfels in 2021, which resulted in 63 original artworks being produced on-site and exhibited in Oranjemund and Windhoek.
The Artists’ Retreat is set to become an annual event, not just on the Oranjemund calendar, but also for Namibia. This retreat was sponsored by Namdeb as the former custodian of the national park, and the current incumbent mine in the area.