Wil-Merie creates 'salt of the earth' art
With hard work, dedication and creativity, dreams can come true.This is proved by Wil-Merie Greyling, who recently obtained her master of arts degree. This contemporary artist and sculptor from Swakopmund, transported 1.8 tonnes of dense blocks of salt from the Cape Cross salt pans to Rhodes University for her Master of Fine Art 2023 exhibition with the theme Out of the Ruins, Out from the Wreckage.
Wil-Merie's art will be displayed again during the National Arts Festival from 22 June to 2 July at the university's fine art gallery in Makhanda - formerly known as Grahamstown.
She investigates emotional subjects by carving blocks of salt and letting objects finely crystallize from them as a way to research the relationships between loss and growth and to visually articulate the inextricable bond between physical and spiritual landscapes in her art.
"In my artistic practice, I have explored the character of Namibian salt in its natural form - dense blocks - by transforming their inherent properties of commercial minerals into unique art objects. I explored the metaphorical associations of destruction and restoration and created an installation that uses various elements – from carving salt blocks to creating delicate salt crystal artworks.”
The academics overseeing her research described her work as highly original, poetic and with a clear degree of technical difficulty. More detailed video and visual documentation of her exhibition work is available online at @wilmerieg and @Wil-MerieGreylingArtist.