Reverie

[ Long Street Art Lovers 1932 . 9 - 23 May 2025 ]

Reverie

A state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts, lost in a daydream. Our desire to refocus our awareness from the surrounding natural and ideological environments toward introspection is reactionary. As artists we feel displaced by AI’s ability to simulate and the disparities on social media fuel our inclination to connect with our surroundings in a different way. To distinguish ourselves from the quick-fix solution that social media and AI offer to engage with the world around us, this exhibition proposes that the differentiating detail between artists and AI is the ability to daydream, the ability to envelop an environment subconsciously. Although art practice is a cognitive process from conceptual research, studio practice to exhibition design, we as artists offer an emotional and subjective portrayal of our surroundings. We portray what AI can’t, the human experience. Reverie is an exhibition of three daydreamers whose artworks are recognisable in the escapist sentiment that runs through it. Reverie explores an unmediated version of the human relationship with nature. The current status quo of capitalist consumerism that drives an increase in pollution and global warming frames the portrayal of nature, not only in an environmentally concerned light, but it also touches on political, social and cultural inadequacies. Not all of the complexities of the natural environment are explored in the scope of this exhibition, however a sense of intimate botanical details, larger ecosystems and vast landscapes speak of how dependent humans and nature are on each other.

Exhibiting artists

Geneve Potgieter . Josly Liebenberg . Lelani Nicolaisen

Geneve Potgieter

Geneve Potgieter's work embodies her appreciation for the natural environment. Being influenced by discourses of environmental awareness, her work renders an ambiguous reflection towards a transient world. The abstraction of Potgieter's subject matter creates a dissociation, which leaves a resolution just out of reach. Her work challenges a sense of familiarity, reflecting on intuitive preservation. Through her chosen mediums of charcoal, graphite and acrylics a close scrutiny of the more intimate parts of nature are considered, which are constantly in flux between an apprehensiveness of ecological loss and naïve admiration.The Memoir Series 2025, recalls scenes from the artist's travels through the Eastern Cape highlands. Each recollection originates around a pathway either carved out over time by the elements, or by cumulative human interaction. Just as these trails become enveloped by the landscape, with each reminiscence the artist becomes more drawn into her musings. The scenery gently transforms into dreamscapes, collectively yearning for a resolution from our displaced selves. 

Josly Liebenerg

Josly Liebenberg explores the Afromontane mist belt forest biome of the Magoebaskloof region in this body of work. Under investigation is the network of waterfalls and streams that allow plant species to flourish and decompose into forest debris that nourish the soil. The observed ecological community that is found within this subtropical forest is documented in black and white ink drawings with watercolour washes added to selective artworks. These artist's impressions depict the experience of the forest through the lens of a hiker as the landscape is perceived from shifting vantage points while tracking through untouched terrain. Mounted in pod-like round frames, the artworks not only speak of conserving the pristine natural environment but also of preserving these moments of perception and connection. 

Lelani Nicolaisen

Lelani Nicolaisen explores notions of the everyday human connection with the spaces they are immersed within. Her paintings capture the often overlooked in-between moments in life - the forgotten moments or spaces that aren't seen as worthy of remembering. When looking from a distance, these moments become precious as one could never return to that exact moment in time. Nicolaisen photographs scenes from her everyday surroundings of people and spaces that are known or unfamiliar to her. These photographs are later revisited to be translated into cherished paintings. By excluding urban elements, she elevates the natural environment within her work. Notions of space and time play an important role within her work. Her work confronts ideas of loss, trauma and renewal.