Oliewenhuis Art Museum cordially invites you to the opening of the following three exhibitions that form part of the Vrystaat Arts Festival 2025.
18:00 on Tuesday, 15 July 2025
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER: A solo exhibition by Bronwen Findlay
Dates: 26 June – 17 August 2025
Venue: Oliewenhuis Art Museum (Main Building)
Opening: 15 July 2025 at 18:00
Walkabout: 16 July 2025 at 11:00
"My work is informed by spaces I have lived in, places I have been to, things I collect, people I collaborate with. I manipulate paint and colour in response to my subject matter. I like to think that ‘every picture tells a story’ but that each painting exists as its own world. I try to find beauty in things which might seem insignificant or not of great importance, the ordinary or every day. I have painted domestic objects, which may be loaded with cultural connotations – a willow-patterned piece of crockery from my grandmother, enamel tin plates and mugs bought from trading stores. Textiles and cloth have also played an important role in my work – I was influenced by the embroidery and beadwork created by women from the Limpopo province and for a time beaded my paintings with dots of paint. Colour and decoration have always been an important aspect of my painting. This decorative manipulation of paint may also be seen in my more recent paintings of South African flora and fauna – while these works are hardly botanical, I hope that they capture a different reality." - Bronwen Findlay
what remains through time, slowness and stillness
A decolonising collaborative exhibition by Sonya Rademeyer with Community and more-than-human-kin as epistemic partners.
Dates: 15 July – 24 August 2025
Venue: Oliewenhuis Art Museum (Reservoir)
Opening: 15 July 2025 at 18:00
Walkabout: 17 July 2025 at 12:00
As a visual and performing artist Sonya Rademeyer is interested in exploring notions of deep-empathy. Her explorations around empathy requires deep-listening which connects her to concepts of entanglement, fragility and complexities. She grapples with the relationship between empathy and whiteness viewed from a post-colonial perspective, looking for ways to open discussions around forgiveness, social cohesion and transformation which inevitably leads her to address complicated content. She has a very collaborative approach and collaborators for this exhibition include: Mme Mary Sebabatso Mofama and Dr Anita Venter, co-founders of Roodewal Meraka, with Lenosa Mahapang. The long term intention for the Meraka project is to create a world-class regenerative knowledge exchange hub (Meraka), where a variety of living heritages activities are taught and performed.
Soliloquy: the untold story of Sleeping Beauty’s dreams
A solo exhibition by Lisa Ledwick
Dates: 15 July – 24 August 2025
Venue: Oliewenhuis Art Museum (Annex Gallery)
Opening: 15 July 2025 at 18:00
Walkabout: 16 July 2025 at 10:00
‘This body of work takes the form of a re-vision of the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” by Charles Perrault (1634) and as such is imbued with universal archetypes that speak to the collective unconscious of humanity. These archetypes, along with symbolic imagery, are used as a springboard in my work to communicate a personal story which takes form visually. Like fairy tales, the artworks are meant to act as a catalyst to engage with the viewer and ‘create a space’ for internal questioning and evaluation. As such, this work offers the viewer an opportunity for psychological reflection which is timeless.’ – Lisa Ledwick
18:00: The exhibitions will be opened together in the Sculpture Park at Oliewenhuis Art Museum, 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein.
This includes Performance Art by Sonya Rademeyer.
Refreshments will be served.
For more information please contact Oliewenhuis Art Museum at 078 968 4300.
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Arts events in Bloemfontein,
Exhibitions in Bloemfontein,
Festivals in Bloemfontein.
