In my solo exhibition Ontluikende on/ge-mak I explore the emergent nature of my Afrikaner female identity and the ongoing changes in conceptions of my identity. In my series of sculptures I incorporate second-hand furniture with biomorphic forms. Tension and disruption is created between the interaction of the form and the domestic objects.
The biomorphic form may be read as mauling the furniture in a ‘dangerous’ way, which leads to the destruction of the furniture piece as an ‘object of comfort’. Through these artworks I question my role as an emergent female Afrikaner in post-apartheid South Africa.
My conflicting relationship between feelings of comfort and discomfort stem firstly from grappling with my Afrikaner legacy and my longing to construct an emergent ‘South African’ identity that stands apart from this limiting inheritance. Secondly, from my position as a post-feminist grappling with breaking away from the limiting Afrikaner female volksmoeder stereotype, by employing both masculine and feminine work techniques whilst embracing feminine complexity at the same time.