Pierre Vermeulen
Hair Orchid Sweat Print Black 1, Cave Painting Series
About the SessionThe Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction forms an integral part of Strauss & Co’s ongoing partnership with one of South Africa’s leading arts festivals. Now in its fifth year, the auction reflects a shared commitment to supporting the visual arts and creating meaningful opportunities for artists and collectors. Held at Stellenbosch Town Hall and accompanied by a curated preview exhibition, the auction brings together works by both emerging and established artists. Its intention is to encourage new and seasoned collectors to engage with and invest in South African art, while expanding the market and improving access to the work of leading local artists. At its core, the auction places artistic excellence at the centre while seeking to create greater visibility and recognition for contemporary artistic practice.
LOT 40
Pierre Vermeulen
Hair Orchid Sweat Print Black 1, Cave Painting Series
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
signed, dated and inscribed with the title on the reverse
Exhibited
SMAC, Stellenbosch, Thoughts Think Themselves, Solo Exhibition, 4 December to 22 January 2022.
Notes
Pierre Vermeulen was born in 1992 in Stellenbosch, and currently lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2015 and Masters in Visual Arts in 2021 from the University of Stellenbosch.
Pierre Vermeulen’s artistic practice explores the unconscious, myth, and ritual, drawing on ancient philosophical traditions and meditation to engage with spirituality and symbolism. His process involves repetitive rituals that merge meditation, performance, and alchemy, using materials like imitation gold leaf, human hair, sweat, and casts of ex-voto to create both aesthetic and conceptual imprints through oxidation. These works, often incorporating metals like gold leaf imitate and silver leaf imitate reflect the junction of the sacred and the profane, examining dualities such as light and dark, masculine and feminine, and the internal and external realms. Through his use of ritual and symbolism, Vermeulen invites reflection on the human need for meaning beyond orthodoxy, while reconciling opposing forces like chaos and order in search of balance.
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