Perceptions of Self

Artist Bio

Elsa van der Klashorst is a South African artist based in Pretoria. She holds a Master’s degree in Visual Arts from the University of South Africa and has exhibited widely in both solo and group exhibitions. Her solo shows include presentations at Fried Contemporary and Terra Contemporary galleries, while her group exhibitions extend internationally, including a showing in Bages, France.

She has enriched her practice through workshops with the CAP institute and her work forms part of numerous private and corporate collections.

Working primarily with mixed media and collage on large formats, Elsa explores layered compositions that reflect her ongoing engagement with materiality, space, and visual narrative.

Artist statement

This series of small red self-portraits traces my journey of personal growth and the search for identity. As a child, my bright red hair, freckles, and fair skin set me apart in ways that often felt uncomfortable. I burned easily, I blushed often, and I carried a lingering sense of exposure and shame. Decades later, these feelings resurfaced during menopause, when hot flushes brought the same red heat rising through my neck and face. What once felt like a childhood trauma has become an enduring part of my inner landscape—one I now choose to transform into something affirming and positive.