Land Rewoven comprises a considered body of work by MJ Lourens in conversation with selected paintings of JH Pierneef from the La Motte Museum collection.
The exhibition was inspired by the notion of recontextualising Pierneef’s well-known oeuvre within a contemporary dialogue. It explores the interpretation of land by two South African artists from different generations, whose work could broadly be classified within the same genre.
Lourens’ expansive land- and cityscapes invite the viewer to join an exchange of ideas surrounding themes of geographical place, memory and identity and to read them in relation to Pierneef’s work. His paintings, despite elements of visual resemblance, subtly resist the perfect harmony of the untainted traditional landscape. Lourens’ practice involves an ongoing process of observing a more urban South African landscape and thoughtfully portraying the complexities thereof.