Galerie Chaton

Erica Schoeman - Place  -  Plek

19 August to 9 September 2023
 
Erica Schoeman received art classes from Ines Aab-Tamsen and Peter Eliastam and in 1966 obtained a BA (Fine Arts) and in 1977 an MA (Fine Arts) both at the University of Pretoria.  Several exhibitions have followed.
 
She states: “I have always been fascinated by maps: vast three-dimensional spaces condensed into two-dimensions on paper where landscapes turn into image-like patterns - the flowing lines of contours; the meandering of rivers and the arteries of roads; the wavy mountain ranges or dunes; the cubism of buildings.  Cartography is a craft we take for granted without recognising that maps on their own can be works of art.”
 
Should you look at maps more carefully you may find some hidden identifiable images created by their surfaces, often revealed by turning them upside down or sideways.  Schoeman uses pens and pencils to coax these imaginative images out of the maps.  By drawing on an existing image she creates a palimpsest of pictorial information. 
 
Maps don’t only inspire creativity, but also evoke memories often through association.  For this series the artist has employed maps of Africa and South Africa.  Africa for instance imitates a grinning skull and a side view of the South African coastline reminds one of an animal’s head.
 
The names of the artworks are chosen with great care.  Sometimes an English title is apt, but in other cases Afrikaans is more descriptive.  ‘Roofdier’ has a much stronger and more sinister impact than ‘Predator’ would have had.  Titles are hopefully not limiting and should be open to and invite different interpretations.