Opening just ahead of the 2019 Cape Town Art Fair, Deepest Darkest is a boutique contemporary Art Gallery in the historical heritage village of De Waterkant, within the Cape Town city bowl. Launching with the exclusive first foray into fine art by the former fashion designer Suzaan Heyns, the gallery is an engaging space that curates emerging and established local, national and international contemporary artists.

“We aim to present art that people want to live with,” says Deon Redman, co-owner and founder of Deepest Darkest. “Our aim is to present a platform for artists to exhibit in group and solo shows, and to present art that is engaging and accessible to a wide range of art collectors.”

For the first show, Nastergal, Suzaan Heyns has created very beautiful, delicate sculptures out of plastic. These are reminiscent of flowers, and yet are actually anatomical casts of parts of the artist’s body growing and reaching in submergence.

This show is complemented by a selection of over-sized photographic works by Krisjan Rossouw. Entitled Tropika, the collection explores the idea of what may often, on the surface, appear idyllic, yet has a rich, textured undertone. The gallery itself is presented in the front section of a listed 183 year old building that has been lovingly restored to its former glory.

Suzaan Heyns – Nastergal (2019)

As one of South Africa’s foremost conceptual fashion designer’s, Suzaan Heyns’ unique point of view consistently pushed the boundaries of design principles within fashion, extending boldly into wearable sculpture. Widely known for her unexpected collaborations across various disciplines, her work has garnered various awards, including the Innovation Award at the 16th Annual Business Day BASA Awards (2012) for her ‘Re-imagine Concrete’ Collection with PPC Cement.

With a fundamentally art-based approach remaining key to Heyns’ work, her previous fashion shows constantly disregarded prescribed formats, venturing rather into the realms of live installations and conceptual performances.

‘Nastergal’, her debut foray into fine sculpture represents a natural extension of her core creative practice.

At first beautiful in their sensual fragility, each smooth cast liquid plastic piece reminisces on delicate floral forms belying a whispered macabre; anatomical casts of parts of the artist’s body growing, reaching, in submergence. Duplicate in blooming towards freedom or twisting to near decay, encased and presented for display. A moment of exhalation frozen in time.

Krisjan Rossouw – Tropika (2018)

Krisjan Rossouw grew in Cape Town, South Africa where he works and lives. He is a self-taught fine art photographer with no formal art or photographic training. Since taking up professional photography in 2009, his work has been bought by local and international collectors and is represented across numerous galleries worldwide.

Krisjan Rossouw – TROPIKA 1

Tropika explores the idea of what may often, on the surface, appear idyllic elements in the image, but continues Rossouw’s key process of direct personal dialogue with his subjects, the sense of self in strange surroundings. Apparently incidental motifs and objects transform with the play of multiple light sources and pigment to the point where their original forms become blurred from the recognizable. Aged, water-damaged concrete becomes bioluminescent waves in a state of stormy unrest, a drape of fabric evokes forgotten ritual. The photograph does not exist in isolation, but forms fluid associations and connections, with each image an invitation to the viewer by both photographer and subject into a moment within their greater exchange. Tropika animates these feelings of dislocation between home and away, light and dark, chaos and calm.

Gallery Hours:

Monday – Friday: 10am – 6pm
Saturday: 10am – 4pm
Sunday: Closed

@deepestdarkest

Newsletter Sign Up