I recently had a chat with visual artist Simon Venter, who is based in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Simon is a painter, currently working on his Master's degree in Creative Media Production from the Nelson Mandela University.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired your career in art?
I was born in East London, bred in Hilton in KwaZulu-Natal where I attended school in the Midlands, in 2017 my family relocated to Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), where I am currently based. My journey has always been tied to art, I did art in high school and had my first opportunity to create art for sale in 2016 at Art in the Park; a premier outdoor art exhibition and festival, held annually at the KZN Botanical Gardens in Pietermaritzburg. I have also exhibited at the Hilton Arts Festival, these experiences inspired me to prompt a career in arts which was something that I had not intended to do.
How would you describe your style?
Abstract realism. I like to play with the abstract art movement in terms of the use of the palette knife and mark making, impressionism, and neo-classical reality of paintings that the viewer can see – I enjoy playing around with realism, it allows open space for the viewer to interpret things.
How has your practice developed over the years?
In practical terms, for two years I started painting in my bedroom, late in 2017 when we moved to Gqeberha, our house had a double garage that we used for storage and I found a little corner that I used and now I have a small room that I use as a studio, it is a progress that mirrors my journey. I have more involvement in competitions and exhibitions, building on previous progress and momentum.
Please briefly describe your experience and perspective, being an artist based in the Eastern Cape.
I have had progress in my career and previous opportunities being based here in the Eastern Cape. Although there is a lack of commercial galleries, there are the ones that we have here and, they have been making efforts to sustain and create space for emerging artists as well as developed artists. The Eastern Cape - well at least if one is based in the city, offers a slower pace of life, and lower cost of living compared to the other big cities in other provinces of the country and this is beneficial because one gets to focus on their work at their own pace, it allows one to pursue opportunities and focus on their practice without pressure. There aren't many direct opportunities however there are initiatives that offer artists a lot of support.
Any projects that you are currently working on?
I am one of four artists which were selected for the Nando’s Creative Exchange 2022 – an artist development program created by Nando’s, in partnership with the Spier Arts Trust, we will be showcasing our artworks in November 2022 in Cape Town at the AVA Gallery. Last week, two of my artworks have been selected for the top 100 by the City of EKurhuleni for the Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards (TMFAA) in Gauteng, and also two of my artworks are part of the annual exhibition at ArtEC.
What is your best piece to date?
I can't say there is one that is my best but there is one that I am very proud of and that I like, it is titled the “Trials of Job” which I created in late 2020, and early 2021, which is commissioned by ArtBank SA.
What does a regular day look like for you?
It depends, I go to the gym in the morning, prepare lunch, then I open the studio, I spend about 3 hours most of the day in the studio painting and also doing admin work.
Follow Simon on his Instagram @simon_paints
#VisualArt #HyperRealism #Impressionism #SouthAfrica #ArtsAndCulture #CreativeMediaProduction #EasternCape #EmergingArtists
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