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Taking the viewer's mind for a walk Writer Hedda Mittner
T
he internationally-renowned artist Jaco Sieberhagen, who has been based in Onrus for the past 10 years, is perhaps best known among local residents for his sculpture, Traveller, which graced Gearing’s Point as part of the 2016 FynArts Sculpture on the Cliffs exhibition. What few people know, though, is that Jaco has been exhibiting extensively both in South Africa and abroad for more than three decades. This highly-acclaimed, multi award-winning sculptor has produced a staggering body of work and, apart from numerous national solo and group exhibitions, he has participated in more than 20 international exhibitions and symposia in places as far afield as the USA, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Ghana, Nigeria, China, Taiwan and Australia. Jaco works mainly in flat steel which is laser cut to precision and then painted matte black or, in some cases such as Traveller, blue. The flat steel creates a two-dimensional silhouette which tells a visual story, or, as Jaco puts it, “takes the viewer’s mind for a walk”. Because the design of these intricate sculptures has to be broken into elements (or cutting files) that are laser cut separately before being welded together in a seamless and energised unity, Jaco uses CAD to produce meticulously precise drawings. Once the laser cutting has been done, he welds the different elements together and spray paints the completed sculpture himself in his studio – a daunting process that is testament to both his creative and technical ingenuity. Imagery, symbols and archetypal figures are used to convey a narrative that questions our sense of identity, while others provide scathing comment on the injustices of our socio-political history, the superficiality of popular culture and the destruction of the earth by modern greed and consumerism. Jaco describes these thought-provoking scenes created by his sculptures as “landscapes of the mind”. To tell his stories, he often incorporates
Local artist Jaco Sieberhagen beside of one of his works in his home in Onrus.
the ideas and skills of sequential art and creates a series of works that depict a certain theme. The secret to self-fulfilment is self-acceptance, says Jaco. “You have to trust and believe in yourself, in order to develop your own unique way of looking at the world; then your art will also be unique.” Jaco’s way of looking at the world is deeply influenced by his religious and humanitarian background. Amazingly, he had little formal art training and is largely self-taught. Born in 1961, Jaco spent his childhood in several small towns in South Africa such as Victoria West, Prince Albert and Riversdale where his father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. “Tradition dictated that on Sunday afternoons after lunch we always had to rest, which was very boring for children,” recalls Jaco. “To pass the time I used to read a lot, especially art books.” Jaco also enjoyed drawing from an early age and often visited the local artists in the small towns where they lived. After matriculating at Langenhoven High
‘Forest Selfie’ (above) and ‘Mother Earth Selfie’ (below) are part of a series that Jaco is currently working on and formed part of a recent exhibition at the Vryfees in Bloemfontein, entitled ‘Dwell in Possibility’. They depict the self-absorption of the ‘selfie’ culture, with people being more interested in their own petty preoccupations than in the destruction of our planet, even as the hourglass runs out.
School in Riversdale, Jaco spent the next seven years studying, graduating with a BA degree in Anthropology and Psychology from the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University), before obtaining another degree, this time in Theology, from Stellenbosch University, followed by a Licentiate in Theology. “I was always interested in science and the human psyche,” says Jaco, adding that he sought to find expression for his compassionate nature in pastoral care and in making a difference in people’s lives. After graduating, Jaco was called up to do his two-year compulsory military training and in his second year he was stationed in Grahamstown. Here he became an occasional student at Rhodes University, attending evening classes where he was tutored by professional artists not only about the technical aspects of art, but also how to think critically and analytically about art. “I realised that there was little point in following trends and that I had to find my own unique signature,” he says. Continues on P 10 ‘Walkies’ (above) and ‘Oliver’s Wish’ (below) are two works that form part of Jaco’s ‘Stations of the Cross’ series, which he made in the run-up to the 2014 elections. They not only mock our political leaders, who urge voters to elect them despite all the scandals and skeletons in their cupboards, but also deliver scathing comment on the selfenrichment of politicians at the expense of the most vulnerable members of society.
LEFT: Jaco's sculpture, 'Traveller', formed part of the 2016 FynArts Sculpture on the Cliffs exhibiton. ABOVE: The 4½-metre high sculpture, 'Walking Tall', which was installed in the Changchun Sculpture Park in China in 2018
