NINA HOLMES it is not what I see

NINA HOLMES it is not what i see www.eclecticacontemporary.co.za

the dankness, the brown mustiness deeply integrated into fathomless pits of earth under earth the sharp, excited green of new life, new promises prim and contained each leaf shape. the frilly, delicate ferns lacy tendrils and soft. the albino white patches on trunks of trees blending into sap green, mouldy dark - so unexpected the intricacies of branch crossing branch crossing twig, the whistle quietness and subdued secrecy of winding paths earth under earth

Nina Holmes returns to Eclectica Contemporary this August with her second solo exhibition at our gallery titled ‘it is not what i see”. This show was largely informed by a landscape painting workshop in Karatara, near Knysna, that Holmes attended earlier this year. Working instinctively and through a process of reflecting on all her senses, the pieces reflect an urge to make visual what is heard, smelled, touched and emotionally experienced while working in a new and alive environment.

On returning to her studio in Cape Town, a process of reflection and translation began. She attempted to recapture and re-experience the forest with the experience of working ‘en plain air’. Holmes filled her studio with the studies she had created and brought back with her. Speaking of her experience of working in Karatara she described the concurrent dualities of nature:

“The apparent lazy serenity of blissful farm life, blue skies, distant rumble of the local woodchoppers, snorting of horses, undulating valleys versus the harsh sun beating down on one side of one’s face, unexpected gusts of wind sending materials flying, the swarms of relentless mosquitoes in the forest, stinging rain, the difficulty in lugging one’s own equipment through unwelcoming terrain”.

Colours and textures spread across her canvasses, around the space, and across vision in abstraction that invoke the ambivalence of nature, occupying space, and interacting, within it. Each painting offers abstracted motifs that bounce across and between the works, with clues and hints in the titling that point to inspirations and anecdotes.

For this exhibition Holmes has mostly worked large, creating a kind of vast landscape to work on. Inspired by the work of Fabienne Verdier, Holmes painted on loose canvasses taped to the floor, working aerially. She worked quickly, instinctively, mainly painting with acrylic to allow for speed, spontaneity and improvisation. Trying to recapture elements of working outside, using her memory to recall and record: the single tree, the intersection of branches, the shouting of hens. Recurrent motifs, abstracted forms seemed to reappear again and again.

“It is not what I see. I have tried to look at each work and really feel what the painting needs and wants as opposed to superimposing any idea of preconceived outcome. I have tried to become comfortable with not knowing.”

There is also the implied understanding of the show’s title, that it is not about what the artist sees, but what the viewer sees or experiences. Holmes holds the belief that while some knowledge of the artist’s intentions and methods may allow for greater appreciation of specific work, the viewer may experience something entirely different to the artist’s original ideas and intended outcomes.

With a collection of works on canvas and framed works on paper, Holmes returns with a body of work that speaks through her evocative use of colours, illusion and allusion. In our gallery, run by womxn, we are excited and honoured to celebrate the work of incredible womxn artists for the month of August, and are thrilled to present this solo exhibition by Nina Holmes in this context.

it is not what i see, (Detail) 2019 Acrylic on canvas 154 x 190 cm

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‘LIMINALITY

A series of biographic illustrations Graham Modern & Contemporary 29 August - 19 October 2019

Liminality refers to the state between conscious (supraliminal) and unconscious (subliminal) which recalls so much of my working process.

Dream, thought and ‘real life’ often intersect in my universe. Accused of not being able to focus at school, my world has never been one of dogged focus with a clear outcome in mind. Long term planning is often what I am going to have for dinner. Today, right now, is very exciting for me - the blank canvas is loaded with possibilities every time.

My world is a curious duality in which conforming has always been incredibly difficult however I am certainly never to be associated with the celebrated myth of the ‘tortured artist’. I paint what I am, which is a really positive, curious and highly personal (but I hope sufficiently universal for anyone to engage) journey. The small items that are embedded in my mind from years ago are still so vivid and vital although others are faded fragments.

Above: A Steamy Day in a Far Off Place, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 100cm, 2016. Right: The Old Farm at Dargle,

Oil on Canvas, 100 x 100cm, 2018

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To quote Francis Bacon’s words of “courting accidents”, my application of paint and mark making is often spontaneous and not particularly well planned - the joy of accidents in material and mark making is incredibly exciting for me.

I used a rather limited palette of less than 10 colours and would never be able to work without white. White is a crucial colour for me. The glorious pigment of colour comes alive when I add white.

My wonderful tutors from Michaelis School of Art in the 70’s - Stanley Pinker, Gavin Young, Cecil Skotnes, Helmut Starcke - all influenced my work and I will be forever grateful for the privilege of having been taught by them.

The paintings are so often a series of disassociated elements which weave a story of delight and intrigue. I invite you to dip into the works and see the series of contradictions and juxtaposed fragments of my life, past memories and my sense of being African today. - Kevin Collins

Above: A Close Shave and a Stiff Drink - Robert Hodgins Arrives in South Africa n 1938 from Dulwich, Oil on Canvas, 160 x 160cm (detail). Left: Adventure May Hurt You but Monotony will Kill You, Oil on Canvas, 160 x 160cm, 2019

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A River Called Bull, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 100cm, 2016, (Detail)

Studying under Stanley Pinker, Helmut Starcke and Cecil Skotnes at Michaelis, UCT, Kevin spent the late seventies specialising in paint. His mentors shaped Kevin’s use of colour, composition and the manner in which his paint is “laid down”.

Oil on canvas offered Kevin’s work an honest sense of effort, colour subtlety and texture not possible in other mediums. Kevin draws inspiration from youthful memories of travel, the novelty and design of everyday items from years gone by.

After graduating, Kevin worked in advertising and brand communication, over and above painting, but experienced a very serious health trauma to his eyes, which as a visual artist, without one’s eyes, makes it extremely difficult to paint. However, once he had fully recovered from this life threatening illness, he returned to his first passion, that of being a full time artist, and painted with even greater enthusiasm, vigor and verve as a result of the sight returning to his one eye. By being given a second opportunity to paint, Kevin displayed an even greater appreciation of firstly, the gift of life and secondly, the gift of his sight, he now was more determined than ever to honour his inner being and voice to express himself as an artist and paint for the world to see how he sees (with only one eye) the world with all its beauty, the landscape in its abundance, the characters

and caricatures that populate this landscape, and subtle nuances that exist in everyday life.

Upon his return as a full time artist he began painting small works, mostly of animals which formed the basis of his first solo show in 2005 titled ‘The Taxonomy of non-endangered Species’. The show was a hit selling 43 of the 50 works on show. For the past 10 years Stephanie Hoppen, a gallerist in Knightsbridge, London, travelled to South Africa to buy up all of Kevin’s works. On her return to the UK, Kevin’s works resulted in continuous sell out shows. Stephanie now in her 80’s, decided to retire and closed her gallery about 18 months ago.

After 10 years of exhibiting exclusively in the UK, we welcome Kevin Collins’ return to South Africa, this will be his first major exhibition to be hosted on South African soil.

Kevin’s sophisticated, soothing and ethereal palette is ideal for the South African market.

Graham and the gallery team would like to wish Kevin the greatest success for the opening of his exhibition; Liminality: a series of biographical illustrations, opening at Graham Modern & Contemporary on the 29 th of August and runs until the 19th of October 2019.

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