Published 09 April 2024 in The Viewing Room Art Gallery

Ebbing and Flowing Empathy- Sancia van Niekerk’s Slipstream

One is invited to lie beneath Sancia van Niekerk’s Slipstream installation and look up at a room transformed into an underwater paradise- the experience offering an engagement of both one’s senses and one’s imagination. The artwork not only beautifully represents the exhibition and its title, but truly forces one to shift focus from one’s phone. Installation art in this way has a powerful role in successfully competing with our attention when presented as a rival to our screens. Van Niekerk’s work focuses on the idea of a slipstream, a term, as said by the artist, that is commonly associated with the wake or current left behind by fast-moving objects in air or water”. From this she hopes to remind the viewer of the impact we have in one another’s lives, and how we should try support each other through a constant emotional ebb and flow. Look Up! and Fly with us. We are excited to welcome our new exhibition Look Up!. Inspired by the simple, yet pivotal act of averting one's eyes from a screen, the exhibition is filled with works that embrace appreciating the moments we inhabit beyond our connectedness to technology. Artists were prompted to interpret the theme of 'flying' in their work, a term representing the sensation of craning one's neck, opening your eyes, and realising the true beauty of simply  looking up and letting one's imagination soar.