May 29, 2021 - June 30, 2021
White River, South Africa
Click to view: 'In Loving Memory of Loekie, and all the others' Exhibition Walkabout
We are proud to host two simultaneous solo exhibitions by sisters and academics Dr Liezel Lüneburg and Dr Nathani Lüneburg. A first for the gallery on many levels, each exhibition presents unique and distinctly different bodies of work.
Growing up in White River in a family of strong creatives, the sisters' artistic spirit was nurtured by their father, fuelling their exploration and ambitions in art. Against this background, each artist has followed significantly different roads in their careers and the two exhibitions provide a chronicle of their unique journeys while fundamentally depicting the bind of childhood and family thread.
In Imperfections Liezel explores her fascination with curves and circles as a line form through a series of eighteen mandala artworks. A self-taught artist, her passion is evident in the finely-detailed ink and pen renderings that draw the viewer into the meditative world of line.
Through In memory of Loekie, and all the others, Nathani draws comfort in the role that pets have played throughout her life, presenting portrait drawings in ink. There is also a sculptural installation in her signature form of animation that can be experienced in a custom-built viewing booth.
Dr Nathani Lüneburg
Artist Statement
Engaging in quiet self-reflection is a common practice; however, enforced isolation presents a markedly different experience. As inherently social beings, humans have an intrinsic need to share their experiences with others, a necessity crucial to our well-being. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the national lockdown in early 2020 profoundly impacted the psychological and emotional health of many South Africans. Prolonged isolation is well-documented to adversely affect psychological well-being, leading to increased stress hormones and blood pressure, a higher susceptibility to depression, and an elevated risk of suicide. During the national lockdown, numerous South Africans reported experiencing suicidal thoughts. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize disclosed that nearly 1,800 individuals had committed suicide in the four months following the announcement of the lockdown in March 2020. While various factors contribute to this outcome, social isolation and loneliness were particularly significant in 2020.
The events of that year have exacted a toll on many, including myself. The absence of human companionship exacerbated my growing fears. I can attest that the anxiety, feelings of despair, and health complications stemming from isolation were compounded by bipolar disorder. My appetite diminished, and I consumed more alcohol despite its harmful effects. As my birthday approached with no end to the isolation in sight, my loneliness deepened. As loneliness transformed into depression, suicidal thoughts became more frequent. In this period, my dogs proved to be my saving grace.
Dogs have long been attuned to communication with their owners. Studies have confirmed that dogs can read human body language and expressions and show empathy. The empathy our beloved pets display when we are in pain is evidence of this. Pets have even been shown to delay suicidal actions by demanding their owners' attention. In my experience, the need to care for my pets consistently brought me back to the present, even when I was deeply depressed and unproductive.
"In Loving Memory of Loekie, and all the others" features 28 pen-sketched portraits of the loving dogs that have protected and supported me from childhood to adulthood. A white shelf with chewed shoes symbolizes my dog Jack's affection for me. Shoes often comfort dogs because they carry their owner's scent and chewing them provides stress relief by releasing endorphins in their brains, resulting in a sense of happiness. The exhibition includes a stop-frame animation comprising 2,613 frames, displayed in a life-sized cubicle designed for solitary viewing, intended to simulate the isolation I experienced during lockdown. The animation, titled "Diaphragms," symbolizes how my dogs act as my diaphragm – when I am too weak to "breathe," they create a vacuum effect that pulls air back into my lungs. The animation depicts life-threatening scenarios from which my dogs continuously rescue me, with a particular canine named Loekie frequently appearing to save me. Each event represents a potential tragedy, illustrating how my dogs serve not only as best friends but also as crucial components of my mental stability and recovery from trauma induced by loneliness.
The exhibition is dedicated to my canine friend Loekie, who sadly passed away after the lockdown. He remained alive to protect me and, once I was safe, took his final breath. Loekie served as my protector and mental compass for eleven years. The exhibition includes a shrine in a small-scale cubicle with a peeping slit, where Loekie's ashes cover the cubicle's surface. Inside, a tiny white ceramic house, a miniature ceramic statue of Loekie, and videos paying tribute to his life compose the shrine of my guardian and old friend.
Dr Liezel Lüneburg
Artist Statement
My body of work portrays a life-long fascination with circles and curves as well as a personal struggle with and acknowledgement of imperfection. I cannot remember a time when I was not acutely aware of and attracted to circles and curves. Humans are not only surrounded by circular designs in man-made structures and nature, but our souls exist within bodies compiled of curves. And who could imagine the soul as being square? Human life starts with a round egg cell and ends when the circle of live is completed, featuring many circles in between.
Think of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man in which he scientifically applies Roman architect Vitruvius’s theories to artfully illustrate the navel as the centre of the human body – when a circle is drawn with the navel as the axis point, it encompasses both outstretched arms and legs. Yes, there is also a square involved and the science and symbolism behind the sketch is must more intricate than presented by a circle – geometry plays a huge role in the illustration and accompanying text. And, strictly speaking, circles will not be able to exist without squares. But I must admit that the body perfectly fitting inside the circle speaks to my innermost being much louder than the square.
Apart from the wonder of our curvaceous bodies, we are surrounded by circles, curves, and geometry in both the microscopic ánd larger cosmos. The most vividly outspoken evidence of this is probably illustrated by the golden ratio which is sometimes called “nature’s divine blueprint”.
I call my drawings “mandalas”. The Tibetan word for mandala means “that which encircles a centre”. A centre in this context symbolises meaning and that which encircles it is a representation of the meaning. Thus, a mandala is in its simplest form a depiction of the deeper meaning it represents. It is an object of balance and harmony and creating one brings inner peace and perspective on difficult issues.
My artworks do not necessarily revolve around a centre on paper, but rather a conceptual centre which expresses my personal emotions, thoughts, desires and intuitions at a specific moment. It also depicts the way in which I perceive the world and comments on both the imperfections and the beautiful. Thus, each artwork portrays a time of meditation and reflection.