Proof of life — Curator’s Choice celebrates Nelson Mandela Bay’s creative pulse

The Curator’s Choice exhibition at Art on Target offers a pulse-check on the visual arts in Nelson Mandela Bay – and the result is ample proof of life.

The 10 artists were selected because “they each have something to say, a distinct voice and a clear mission that can be seen in what they are doing, and they are each exceptional in their voice and skill,” said Art on Target director Bretten-Anne Moolman.

The group of up-and-coming as well as established artists not only showcases diversity in artistic expression, but also the diversity that is the beating heart of Nelson Mandela Bay’s creative arts community.

Ranging from 20-somethings to an octogenarian, they are a mix of race, gender and artistic backgrounds – some formally trained and some self-taught, some are students or recent visual arts graduates while others have practised for decades. Some took up art after retiring from corporate careers, or have art as a sideline to their day jobs.

“For some of the artists, this is their first opportunity to exhibit their work publicly, while others are experienced in local and national exhibitions. For all of them, being selected for Curator’s Choice is an opening into a new avenue on their artistic journeys,” Moolman said.

A recognised artist, with several solo exhibitions under her belt and works in national galleries and private and corporate collections, Moolman has run Art on Target for more than a decade as a home to artists’ studios, a gallery with regular exhibitions, and the Art School offering weekly art classes for children, teens and adults, as well as workshops and short courses covering a range of visual arts disciplines and media, and creativity-driven corporate team building.

The Curator’s Choice exhibition, now in its third year, is an offshoot of Art on Target’s annual Same Size-Same Price-No Signature exhibition, an unselected exhibition in which all submitted works are shown unsigned and all selling at the same price.

Same Size-Same Price-No Signature is a popular annual exhibition in the Eastern Cape arts community, attracting about 100 artists every year from all over the region and nationally.

“This provides a platform for all visual artists, from novice to professional and working in diverse media, to exhibit their works on an equal footing in celebration of community and the visual arts,” said Moolman.

She initiated the Curator’s Choice as a challenge for artists participating in the Same Size-Same Price-No Signature exhibition to strive for more, an opportunity to be selected for a curated exhibition, with participation at no cost to the artist.

The intention was to encourage new voices and fresh talent, and stimulate improvement in the local visual arts sector, she said.

One aspect that sets Curator’s Choice apart is the selection of the artists. Drawing on the strong sense of local community in the arts, a panel of more than 20 local professional artists, art educators, students (some as young as six), graduates and art lovers select who they consider the most outstanding artists on the Same Size-Same Price-No Signature exhibition.

Moolman is the overall curator of the exhibition by the final selection of invited artists, who are given about eight months to prepare new works, and says while the diverging views of the selection panel are interesting, “what is most exciting is where this diverse panel converges in agreeing on the artists they would most like to see develop further”.

Both the Same Size-Same Price and Curator’s Choice exhibitions reflect Moolman’s commitment that Art on Target must be a centre not only for education, but must also foster artists’ professional growth and development.

“Through exhibitions such as these, we offer emerging artists, irrespective of age or training, the opportunity to exhibit and generate income from their work, while growing their practice and confidence through being exposed to public and critical feedback,” she said.

Art on Target’s approach to artist development also extends to sponsorship of selected students in the art school, who display exceptional talent but lack the means to access professional training.

Through Moolman’s relationship with the Visual Arts Department at Nelson Mandela University, as an adviser and former lecturer, Art on Target also offers fine arts students exposure to the business of being a professional artist and hands-on experiences in curating and managing art exhibitions.

Further expanding the school’s approach to nurturing young talent, Art on Target recently launched Targeting Talent, a competition for young creatives aged 5-19, with expert judges, participation in a professional exhibition in June, and prizes in four age categories.

Curator’s Choice 2026 highlights diverse visual art techniques, from traditional painting, sculpture and ceramics to experimentations with cyanotype printing, mixed media, new materials and casting techniques, including 3D printing.

“The exhibition demonstrates that artistic expression and techniques are not static – we have young artists exploring age-old methods in print making and sculpture, and blending them with present-day advancements in materials and technology; others telling contemporary stories through traditional brushwork or innovation in ceramic decoration. Some are pushing boundaries in mixed media.

“In a world increasingly shaped by digital creation, the exhibition is a powerful demonstration of human creativity and insights into humanity,” Moolman said.

Gqeberha-based, leading South African artist and educator Estelle Marais commented: “What a lovely exhibition! Diverse, individualistic, unpretentious, with solid, enchanting works. Full of youthful energy and enthusiasm, balanced with mature insights, technical know-how, and talent .. an energy injection in dark times.”

In a new addition to the Curator’s Choice exhibition this year, art lovers can view each artist at work in their own studio in videos on the Art on Target Facebook page, gaining insight into their vision, art practices and methods.

The next Same Size-Same Price-No Signature exhibition will be held at Art on Target in July this year, from which the panel will select artists to be invited to the 2027 edition of Curator’s Choice.

Participating artists in Curator’s Choice 2026

Tom Bateman, the octogenarian of the group, draws his sensitivity to material and colour relationships from his career as an industrial colour chemist in the textile and paint industries, with his technical experience shaping the process and visual language of his work. The works in this exhibition centre on the female form as a channel for expressing “attitude – an intangible presence conveyed through posture, gesture and tone”. His works, mainly in acrylics on canvas, lean toward abstract realism, where recognisable forms coexist with intuitive mark-making and metaphysical undertones. This approach allows for a dialogue between the seen and the felt, the physical and the psychological.

Mpilo Blouw responds to a wide range of influences – music, history, people, landscape, and light – in diverse media including oils, watercolour, acrylic and sculpture. His works, often blending painting with three-dimensional elements, reflect an evolving practice shaped by memory, observation and ongoing experimentation. Blouw’s works embrace a balance between control and spontaneity, allowing order, rhythm and chaos to coexist within each work. Ultimately, he says, his work is driven by a search for beauty within complexity, where structure and unpredictability intersect.

Rebecca Grey, a Nelson Mandela University (NMU) Honours graduate in painting, explores layers of interconnectedness within natural environments, particularly forest ecosystems. Using cyanotypes as a foundational layer, she combines oil painting and surface manipulation to create stratified images. Investigating relationships between seen and unseen structures in nature, tracing connections from the forest floor to the canopy, her work reflects on systems of growth, decay and continuity – inviting viewers to look more closely at what is often overlooked.

Renate Hartman’s creative journey spans several decades and disciplines, beginning with her formal training in textile design followed by a career in shoe design. Working primarily in acrylics, she explores the richness of the natural world, with a particular focus on fauna and flora. Her work is characterised by intricate detail, vibrant colour palettes, and a strong emphasis on texture, capturing the delicacy and complexity of flowers and birds through layered colour and expressive technique.

Janet Kingwill captures the shifting colours of Karoo light and landscapes, and reflects on the intimate rhythms of life on a Graaff-Reinet farm in her Notions of Home series of oils on canvas. Her works are rooted in the convergence of landscape, memory and daily rituals, reflecting a deep connection to place, light and the passing of time; elevating everyday domestic scenes of animals, family and home into expressions of comfort, continuity and belonging.

Marlene F Liebenberg is a sculptor based in Jeffreys Bay, producing three-dimensional “portraits” in resin composites and metal, with a focus on capturing character, emotion and expression. “I am drawn to nuances that make each face unique – the tension in a brow, the curve of a smile, or the weight of a gaze. I aim to translate these fleeting human moments into lasting forms.” She explores the emotional depth and individuality of her subjects, creating pieces that feel both personal and universally relatable.

John Lizamore is a self-taught artist working across painting, assemblage, sculpture, collage and drawing. Drawing inspiration from the colours, patterns, textures and forms of both earthly and cosmic organic structures, his interest is in “how unrelated objects can be transformed through connection, and how acts of construction can mirror both natural and human systems”. In a world increasingly shaped by speed, automation and digital refinement, he celebrates human acts of creation, with his works deliberately retaining traces of the human hand.

Leana Maré is an NMU fine arts graduate. Her Reflections in Panes of Grey series emerges from her experience working as a graduate assistant at Art on Target, “a space defined by the tension between static objects and continuous, often subtle change, and moments of quiet whimsy”. The works centre on the interplay of glass and reflection – glass as a symbol of permanence, while the shifting light passing through it suggests transformation – functioning as metaphors for perception, influence and the act of noticing.

Lookout Sibanda is a professional ceramicist, dividing his time between working in commercial production and his fine art practice. He explores the relationship between colour, texture, pattern and material storytelling through contemporary ceramic art rooted in traditional craft. His vessels are characterised by richly layered surfaces and vibrant palettes inspired by nature, fashion, cultural adornment and handcrafted textiles. Transforming clay into tactile objects, Sibanda’s works celebrate intricacy and individuality, balancing sculptural presence with functional design in objects carrying both aesthetic and emotional resonance.

Jeanie Steyn, an NMU visual arts graduate, begins her sculptural works with “an intimate dialogue with materials” through the act of folding paper. She translates these explorations into tangible sculptures through processes such as 3D printing, mould making, and casting of acrylic resin and stoneware. The shift from fragile paper to durable materials transforms momentary gestures into lasting forms that reflect the tension between structure and spontaneity, precision and intuition. Through the rhythm of folding and making, she seeks a balance between order and unpredictability – a space where meditative practice transforms into sculptural expression. DM