TITLE: Tylecodon cacalioides veneatus I, II and III (2012)

ARTISTS STATEMENT: Roused by the debate regarding the fracking for shale gas in the Karoo and other parts of South Africa, I took an image of Karoo succulent Tylecodon cacalioides and digitally altered it until only a feint allusion to the original remained. My intervention was an attempt to convey a ‘poisoning’ (= veneatus) of the image as a metaphor for humankind’s impact on the environment. The intended result is an eerie, deceptive beauty that hints at toxicity and another, sinister reality.

MEDIUM: Oil on board

SIZE: 40 x 40 cm