The National Art Gallery of Namibia and StArt Art Gallery are pleased tThe National Art Gallery of Namibia and StArt Art Gallery are pleased to present Nicky Marais’ latest solo exhibition titled Bearings. Bearings opens in Windhoek at the National Art Gallery of Namibia on Thursday 30 May at 6PM. The event is open to all who wish to attend. The opening address for the evening will be given by dramaturge and multidisciplinary artist Ndinomholo Ndilula. 

This exhibition consists of new large and small scale paintings on canvas that were produced over the course of 2023 and 2024. The artworks reflect the need to locate oneself and find one’s bearings in a new environment. Inspired in part by the artist’s relocation in early 2023 from Windhoek to Oranjemund, these works draw on both new and familiar symbols and shapes. These dense, vivid paintings include forms taken from triangulation beacons in the desert outside Marais’ new studio as well as forms found in a print by John Muafangejo that hangs in her living room. Marais writes: “More elements from my new surroundings flood into the works too; a dark low island off the coast with the bald name “Black Sophie”, the huge coastal desert winds, the shape of the mining concessions drawn over maps of the landscapes, the crystalline structure of precious stones and over and through all the forms and symbols and shapes, the threads of my own need to connect and to find my bearings.”

These multiple, diverse forms are brought together in complex compositions that are both fractured and whole. Through this work Marais presents us with a view onto a multi-layered network that speaks to her personal journey of re-location within the geographical and social context that surrounds her. 

The exhibition will be open to the public daily from 1 June to 6 July 2024, Mon 14:00-17:00, Tues-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat 9:00-14:00.