Christiaan Conradie (South Africa)

Being an artist today means that one has the liberty to work in an infinite number of ways, be it interdisciplinarily, transdisciplinarily, as part of a collective or producing work of an ephemeral nature.

As a contemporary artist I am always open to new possibilities and ways of approaching art-making, but above all, I have a desire for my work to resonate with the viewer in a profound way. To a large degree I try and recreate the types of emotions I felt when I first saw great works such as The Painter Marteen Rijkaert by Anthony van Dyck or ‘The Adoration of the Magi by Rubens. These are examples of works that, for me have a certain intangible presence that is difficult to explain. They connect with some part of us that sits right at the essence of what it means to be a human being. It is this ineffable quality that a painting has the power to produce, and it is this quality that I am always in search of.

My primary interest is not to create beautiful images, or images that are considered naturalistic, however I do believe that a beautifully rendered subject has the ability to communicate more powerfully. A work is considered complete once I have managed to fulfill my primary objective of instilling in it a life of its own. My work often demands that the viewer engages with it because if its ´incomplete´ nature and it is important to me that the viewer is provoked to participate in this way.

I am an artist that believes in the craft of producing an artwork, and that an honest creation often requires an investment of time.