The Art Of Hemp Is Explored In New Exhibition

Jim Finnel

Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
The Artspace and Worldart mentorship programme presents its third exhibition for 2008.

Entitled Ecosphere, this exhibition sees artist Willem Snyman present a body of work that explores environmental concerns through the use of Hemp and landscape imagery.

Supported by both Rand Merchant Bank and BASA (Business and Arts South Africa) this MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME aims to expose new visual artists who have previously had little or no exposure to the market. This will be achieved by identifying established artists in the art field and allowing them to collaborate with emerging talent by nurturing and guiding the new artists. The objective is to have a commercial exhibition where the work of the artist/s can be showcased, thereby attracting an audience who will be interested in viewing such work on exhibition due to the established artist endorsing the new artist.

This exhibition sees well known artist, and winner of the 2007 Sasol Wax Art Award Walter Oltmann mentoring artist Willem Snyman who has developed a body of work using a new technique of painting on Hemp.

Hemp is an incredibly versatile material.

As a natural fibre of the hemp plant, the hemp seed is a source of omega-rich proteins and essential fatty acids. Some of the first paper was made from hemp more than 3000 years ago and because of its versatility it was one of mankind’s earliest crops.

Hemp fibre has a pleasing natural colour. Wood from the stems of the hemp plant needs no chemical preservatives. It is light and strong with superior insulation properties. Hemp is being explored for high-tech applications in the building industry.

The raw, tough canvas woven from hemp was extensively used by artists in the Middle Ages.

A hemp car running on hemp fuel was developed by Henry Ford at the turn of the previous century. Ever since those days, hemp has been sidelined, but is now making a comeback.

The artist explores the visual effects of both convex and concave shaped hemp canvases. In this exhibition, the artist has used the sphere as artistic form. The spherical shape is found in all of Nature, from planets to water drops and atoms. The artist has developed a technique in which he uses all ten fingers in creating his paintings on these round canvases. This method of painting allows the application of colours in an innovative way.

The artist, Willem Snyman, is a lover of nature and its creatures. He is deeply concerned with ecology and conservation of the planet. He sees a solution and a future in the use of the natural product hemp - now almost forgotten, but extensively used in the Middle Ages. Willem has devised a way of producing his own unique canvas he paints on, as well as other art objects and materials from this plant.

Willem Snyman completed his Fine Art studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. Further studies include etching under Leon de Bliquy in Stellenbosch; landscape painting in the Netherlands (Groningen); Germany (Hannover) and Italy (Volterra). He travelled and painted extensively in Central America and in Greece. He lives on a smallholding in the Renosterspruit Conservancy outside Johannesburg.

The exhibition will open on 18 October at 17h30 at Worldart, 95 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg. It will run until 15th November 2008.


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Source: ArtZone
Copyright: 2008 Artslink.co.za
Contact: Artslink.co.za
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