Seeds of the Future Lie Buried in the Past by Dewald Veldsman

Hot off the heels of their inaugural exhibition, Bellhaus Atelier & Galerie welcome architect turned illustrator Dewald Veldsman into their exhibition space. Seeds of the Future Lie Buried in the Past opened on Earth Day, 22 April and runs until 13 May. Of course the opening date of Veldsman’s exhibit, showcasing incredibly detailed drawings of seeds, pays tribute to the earth, its conservation and appreciation.

Dewald’s childhood fostered his deep-seated fascination with the bushveld. Holidays were spent on his grandparents’ farm under the mentorship of an expert on the fauna and flora in their surroundings - a farmworker’s son and Dewald’s very first friend. His fascination developed even stronger through garnering the skills to illustrate and express ideas and understanding through taking art as a subject in school. Dewald excelled in science and art subjects, not knowing that the two would later intersect on German Etching Fine Art Archival Paper and feature as a solo exhibition at Bellhaus.

Before he drew seeds, the artist studied Architecture at the University of Pretoria where he spent his free time wandering around campus sketching away in his notebook. Through paying close attention to his environments, the textures, light and shadows, Dewald found that seeing, looking and drawing aids his processing and contemplation of life.

While working for Paragon Architects in South Africa, Dewald embarked on a brief to design the Emantini Seed Bank in the Kingdom of Eswatini on a tight budget of 500k. By reimagining the use of the humble cinder block, Dewald created space in the walls of the Seed Bank for planters, lights and other aesthetic features, all by playing with the two holes in the cinder block. The result is a functional, beautiful and costeffective home for the “vault” that safeguards local and regional plant life.

Dewald’s involvement in designing the Emantini Seed Bank inspired what would become a large portion of his body of work now showcasing at Bellhaus. By documenting the tiniest details of the seeds through drawing, he began to understand them better and found that even though seemingly dead, the seeds are alive and speak of the preservation of nature. The drawings are the artists’ inquiry into seeds as small living creatures, the trees of tomorrow. “We trample on seeds without thinking and, in the process, we are wasting away our last chance of creating a sustainable environment for the future. They are seeds of hope. Of a legacy of sustained life“ says Dewald.

Co-founder of Bellhaus Atelier & Galerie Marcii Magson also curated the Seeds of the Future Lie Buried in the Past exhibition. After coming across Dewald’s notebook, Marcii (a respected artist and creative herself) instantly understood his genius. An Architect’s notebook is a window into their mind. Dewald’s notebook, which he carries around everywhere, included meticulous etchings of botanicals, seeds and pods. That he was so moved by nature to translate these often overlooked subjects into detailed illustrations was reason enough for Marcii to bring about the exhibition.

His drawings are layered and complex, coming across as almost three-dimensional. First Dewald lays the metaphorical foundation – the ‘present layer’ – by detailing the Seed Coat. For the shadow layers the artist duplicates outlines and diagonal strokes, building the depth perception and illustrating the time of day. Finer lines are drawn to complete the voice of movement and light that flows through Dewald’s illustrations.

Seeds of the Future Lie Buried in the Past is an evermore important inquiry into our collective past and how imperative it is to plant the seeds for a fruitful future.

Charene Labuschagne