Knysna artist in top 10 at Swiss exhibition

KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna artist Jan Raats was honoured as a top ten finalist with his latest multi-media painting, Reflections in the Boating Pond, at the international art exhibition Swiss Art Expo in Switzerland.

The exhibition, which takes place annually in the Zurich main station hall, ran from 24 to 28 August.

Raats is staying in a hotel in Chamonix and will only return to South Africa mid-September. He describes the whole experience as "a tad overwhelming, with thousands of people milling around".

A juried selection of over 100 artists are chosen for the exhibition, from which 20 semi-finalists and ten finalists' works are chosen. "The selection of work by the finalists covers a wonderful and diverse range of techniques and styles from artists all over the world," said Raats.

"My acrylic and recycled plastic water bottle butterflies on canvas, Reflections in the Boating Pond, was selected as one of the ten finalists.

"Fortunately, I had a few of the loose butterflies with me that assisted with telling interested people about the painting process and the thinking behind the painting. The exhibition is very professional with a team of support staff."

The painting will be on display at his studio, Jandreart Studio (TH 2 Thesen Harbour Town) at the end of September.

Chair of the Knysna Arts Society Helena Gerber said they are super proud of Raats. "He is an inspiration for all the artists in Knysna and surrounding areas. The sky is the limit!"

Follow the link https://www.swissartexpo.com/virtual-tour and explore the exhibition on finger tip, with a virtual tour.

Reflections

Raats says the Covid pandemic influenced Reflections in the Boating Pond. "The piece incorporates hand-cut recycled plastic water bottle butterflies, partly for their link to regeneration, a sustainable, resilient recovery, hinting at the volatility of life, drawing attention to the scourge of single-use plastic that pollutes the delicate ecosystem of our estuary," said Raats.

"In this new, post-Covid world, with its controls and restrictions threatening to undermine our freedoms, there is something liberating in the uncontrolled mark-making of the paint on the plastic butterflies using salt-bush. Applying the paint to the back of the plastic butterflies means that the image of the final art piece is the reverse of the gestural marks, which reinforces this incontrollability."

Read more about the exhibition on the website www.artboxprojects.com and follow this link to learn more about Raats' art work or follow the link and explore the exhibition at your fingertips with a virtual tour.

A room with a view. This is what Jan Raats sees every morning when he wakes up in his hotel in Chamonix.