FynArts 2023 - Booklet

Curated by Karen McKerron
Artist’s Statement
Shaking the Dust
Paula Louw
Inviting the viewer to pause and focus on small details, I unravel
and unpack old, obsolete machines, including outdated cameras
and typewriters. This contrasts with how we look at things today as
we race through life and our communications at full speed.
In days gone by there was reverence and respect in our manner
of letter writing. Time was invested in communicating, and
the letter posted using stamp and envelope, unlike today where
misspellings and misunderstandings often result from hastily
written and ill-considered WhatsApp messages and emails.
FynArts – Festival Artist
I choose to hark back to a time when life was quieter, simpler
and less complex. The use of monochrome in my work therefore
attempts to slow down the instant gratification received from
cellphone cameras and the real-life images they take, their instant
messaging and video calls.
A more recent gift of a box of glass negatives dating back to 1929
offered new possibilities, as their age conferred on them a sense
of time and history. I experimented with a technique of negative
photographic referencing, which led me into a new creative
direction of drawing into and over negative photographic images.
My work encompasses this technique, as well as paint and pastel,
collage, charcoal and found objects.
For this exhibition I have focussed on both the minutiae of tiny,
fascinating details as well as the grand sweep of a mountain
or shoreline.
Opening: Sat 10 at 14:00
Guest Speaker: Ian Redelinghuys
Venue: FynArts Gallery
59