One would not expect dry land to capture anyone’s imagination. Yet Louis Krüger’s thrilling and innovative digital photo montages depicting the vast, dry landscape of the Northern Cape, has won him a Merit Award at the 2017 Phatshoane Henney New Breed Art Competition.
“People ascribe so much meaning to landscapes, and they form historic, spiritual and cultural attachments to land. In all its diversity South Africa is no exception. What I do through my art, is to investigate man’s unavoidable attachment to land, and the need to embed so much meaning in their surrounding landscapes.”
More of his fascinating digital photo montages of acrid landscapes, will be on show during the Winners Group Exhibition that forms part of the Vrystaat Arts Festival’s main programme this year.
This added benefit of being one of the five winners of last year’s competition, gives him, together with the four others winners, opportunity to present an exhibition in an exclusive group exhibition format at Gallery on Leviseur in Bloemfontein from 6-22 July 2018.
He hints too, at works depicting the diaspora of South Africans, which he was especially faced with during his recent travels abroad, which will also form part of the upcoming Winners Group Exhibition. “What you can expect are exciting digital photo montages showcasing water, harbours and foreign landscapes.”
He reveals that later this year his artwork will also form part of the Free State Artist Collective that’s to be exhibited at the Turbine Art Fair in Johannesburg and hopes to have his own solo exhibition travelling to galleries across the country soon.
His magical abilities extends to the matter of earning his bread and butter. He has his own business names Louis Krüger Creates, which offers videography, photography and graphic design services. In addition he is the project coordinator of the Vrystaat Open Studio Tour (VROST) taking place as part of the Vrystaat Arts Festival, and he provides art classes to children at the Onze Rust Primary Schoolas part of the Artists in School programme driven by the Department of Arts and Culture.
Click here to see his winning works and view his artist's profile.