Nanette Ranger (b1969, Durban, South Africa) has spent the better part of three decades building a dynamic and successful art career. Her versatility as a sculptor is self-evident in the sheer variety of sculptures that make up her body of work.
Nanette believes that art ignites life. For her, art is an enriching lens which intensifies the physical and metaphysical experience of the world for both the artist and the viewer. She is inspired visually and conceptually by the world around her, blending natural textures and materials with her love for the human form. Her work seeks to explore and reflect upon the metaphysical power gained from a personal immersion in the natural world. It considers the duality of this connection and the possibility it offers for reconnecting with an intrinsic self.
In 1999, she decided to share her passion for art with others. She founded the Nanette Ranger Art School, where for the past two decades she has mentored thousands of pupils in the disciplines of sculpture, drawing, painting and printmaking. The school’s annual student exhibition is a highlight on the Paarl calendar and is well-supported by the community. Nanette is invigorated by people and believes that she learns as much from her students as they do from her.
Since 1987 Nanette has consistently exhibited and curated exhibitions throughout South Africa. Her work has been taken up into private and public collections in South Africa and abroad. In 2018, she was the Suid-Ooster Fees festival artist and she founded the Paarl Art Society, of which she is currently the chairperson.
She recently entered into a collaboration with Creation Wine farm, where her work is on exclusive display. She is exhilarated by this new exhibition specifically because Creation Farm shares Nanette’s respect for and connection with the Earth. The exhibition is a sculptural exploration of the natural synergies and syntheses of art, food and wine.
