Schalk van der Merwe’s visceral portraits have a directness about them,yet are underpinned with a tangible fragility. Ambiguous features can morph from immense beauty into utter despair, with hints of the eyes breaking the surface beneath layers

of paint, charcoal, turpentine, expressive brush strokes and often the physical DNA form the artists’s fingertips.

Schalk’s work explores the concept of taking the mind out of the creative process to allow for a more honest expression. His art captures a vast range of emotions and often provokes a strong reaction from the viewer.

“My work is not reliant on a cognitive process. I believe over thinking can destroy originality. My portraits aren’t about realism, perfection, gender or race. They explore and attempt to capture those qualities and emotions often hidden from view.” says

van der Merwe of his work.

Schalk’s work is arresting, intriguing and oddly attractive. Each portrait has a delicate, melancholic expression with a coarse and visceral application of paint. Each face offers some deeply personal recognition of the subject even though the features are blurred to the point of anonymity.

Exhibitions:

 

2013:

Release, Catherine Christie Fine Art Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Selected works, The Ghuba Gallery, Hout Bay, South Africa

 

2014:

This Human Condition: A Portrait Study in Primaries, Kim Donaldson Gallery, Franschhoek, South Africa

This Human Condition: A Portrait Study in Primaries & The Guardians, Young Blood Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Selected works, The Ghuba Gallery, Hout Bay, South Africa

Selected works, Gill Alderman Collection, South Africa

Disrupt & Disturb, Young Blood Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

 

2015:

Selected works from the series Visceral, Hout Bay Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Selected works from the series Visceral, African Transformation & The Slow Disintegration of Sanity,  Art Eye Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Selected works from series Visceral & Propaganda, Artist's Proof, Washington DC, USA

 

2016:

Works from series Visceral, This Human Condition: A Portrait Study in Primaries, The Slow Disintegration of Sanity & Propaganda, Absolut Art Gallery, Cape Town, RSA

Selected works from series Visceral & Dearly Beloved, Equus Gallery, Cavalli Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Selected works from the series Visceral and Dearly Beloved,  Art Eye Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Selected works from series Visceral & Propaganda, Artist's Proof, Washington DC, USA

Selected works from the series Visceral, Hout Bay Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

​

2017:

Works from series Visceral & The Slow Disintegration of Sanity, Absolut Art Gallery, Cape Town, RSA

Selected works from series Visceral & Dearly Beloved, Smudge Contemporary, Clarens, South Africa

Selected works from the series Visceral,  Art Eye Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Selected works from series Visceral & Propaganda, Artist's Proof, Washington DC, USA

Selected works, Hout Bay Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Selected works from series Visceral, Rossouw Modern, Hermanus, South Africa

Selected works from series Visceral & Dearly Beloved, Contemporain Gallery, Baton Rouge, USA

​

2018:

Selected works from the series Visceral,The Slow Disintegration of Sanity & Dearly Beloved,  Art Eye Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Selected works, Artist's Proof, Washington DC, USA

Selected works, Hout Bay Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Selected works from series Visceral, Rossouw Modern, Hermanus, South Africa

Selected works, Contemporain Gallery, Baton Rouge, USA

Selected works, The Affordable Art Fair, NYC, USA

 

Solo Exhibitions:

 

2013:

This Human Condition: A Portrait Study in Primaries, Bright Creative Space, Cape Town, South Africa

 

Published & Group shows:

2013 - Group show, New Portraits Collection, Saatchi Online Gallery UK curated by Saatchi Art VP, Rebecca Wilson

2014 - Group show with Kim Donaldson & Llewellyn, Kim Donaldson Gallery, Franschhoek

2014 - Group show, The Artmode Holistic Expression, Young Blood Gallery, Cape Town

2014 - Published, Portraits, Selected works by Schalk van der Merwe, Cape Town

2015 - Group show, 10 Words 20 Artists, Bright Creative Space, Woodstock, Cape Town

2015 - Published, Curate Magazine: Portrait Edition, Johannesburg, RSA

2015 - Published, PoetsArtists #66 - Destroying the Figure in the 21st century curated by Daena Title, Chicago, USA

2015 - Published, The Brandy Alexander curated by art editor Ava Mallett, NYC

2015 - Published, Bleaq curated by Jantine Zandbergen

2015 - Group show, Broken Monsters Charity Art Show curated by Jacki Lang, Cape Town & Johannesburg, RSA

2015 - Published, Art Africa Magazine: The Broken Monsters Charity Art Show, RSA

2016 - Published, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: Visceral Portraits, Australia

2016 - Published, MFMO Art Online Publication: Visceral Portraits, USA

2016 - Published, PittiDiscovery Online Publication: Portraits, Italy

2016 - Group show, Lords of Winter, Equus Gallery, Cavalli Estate, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2016 - Group show, The Art of Luxury curated by ArtEye Gallery, The Saxon Hotel, Johannesburg, RSA

2016 - Group show, Artmode - Art Noir & All that Jazz, The Cape Town Club, Cape Town

2017 - Group show, Humanity, Absolut Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2017 - Group show, Black & White, Absolut Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2017 - Group show, Rossouw Modern, Hermanus, South Africa

2017 - Published, Hoop Doop Magazine: Cover & Featured artist, Amsterdam

2017 - Published, SLOW Magazine: Cover & Featured artist, British Airways Luxury Lounges

2017 - Published, Creative Paper Issue 7: London, UK

2017 - Group show, Assemblance, Absolut Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2018 - Group show , Universal Truth, Rossouw Modern, Hermanus, South Africa

2018 - Published, Cultural Magazine: Visceral Portraits, Mexico

2018 - Published, Volition Magazine: Cover & feature, Los Angeles, USA

2018 - Selected works, The Affordable Art Fair, NYC, USA

2018 - Group show, Trent Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

2018 - Selected works, The Affordable Art Fair, Amsterdam, Holland

​

Work in Private Collections:

Seven  – Private Collection, Atlantic Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

Amnesia  – Private Collection, Kenya

Arcadia  - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa    

A Kind of Blue  - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa    

A Hopeful Tomorrow- Private Collection, Northern Ireland

The Guardian - Private Collection, Hout Bay, South Africa  

Judas - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa  

Gainsburgh - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Awaken - Private Collection, Llandudno South Africa

Duality - Private Collection, Austria

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #12 - Private Collection, Hout Bay, South Africa

Dictator - Private Collection, Bantry Bay, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #17 - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #14 - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Centurion - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #3 - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Black Meriah - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #8 - Private Collection, Denmark

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #26 - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Just watching the Sky - Private Collection, Bantry Bay, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #29 - Private Collection, Somerset West, RSA

Selfportrait - Private Collection, Rondebosch, South Africa

Visceral #2 - Ghuba Gallery, Private Collection

RUHAPPYNOW#2 - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Banyana - Private Collection, Maryland, USA

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #23 - Private Collection, Pretoria, South Africa

Happiness - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Golden Dawn - Private Collection, Pretoria, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #26 - Private Collection, Pretoria, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #4 - Private Collection, Maryland, USA

Mystic - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

The Slow Disintegration of Sanity #2 - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Dearly Beloved #1 - Private collection, Somerset West, RSA

Brutus - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Boyo - Private collection, Conneticut, USA

Tomorrow - Private collection, Miami, Florida, USA

The Stare - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Gabriel - Private collection, New York, USA

Presence - Private collection, Centurion, South Africa

Broken Monsters #1 - Private collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Broken Monsters #2 - Private collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Broken Monsters #3 - Private collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Broken Monsters #4 - Private collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Visceral #38 - Private collection, Germany

Abe - Private collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Tainted - Private collection, Germany

Broken: A Disfunctional State of Being #1 - Private collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Bliss - Private Collection, Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa

Monty - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Animal - Private collection, Georgetown, Washington DC, USA

Visceral #51 - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Morning After - Private collection, Georgetown, Washington DC, USA

Adore! Adore! - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Goodbye Blue Sky - Private collection, Germany

Gump - Private Collection, Pretoria, South Africa

Zero Gravity - Private collection, Germany

Falling to Pieces - Private Collection, Bantry Bay, South Africa

False Prophets #1 - Private collection, Stuttgart, Germany

Extra Bacon on the Side - Private collection, New Jersey, NYC, USA

Imitation of Life - Private collection, Stuttgart, Germany

Visceral#29 - Private collection, Chicago, USA

For the Love of Bacon - Private Collection, Hout Bay, South Africa

Broken #2 - Private Collection, Luxembourg, Europe

Visceral #73 - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Journey into Agetha - Private Collection, London, UK

The Soft Whisper of Affirmation - Private Collection, Nairobi, Kenya

Visceral #72 - Private Collection, Sweden, Europe

Visceral #70 - Private Collection, London, UK

The Sum of Your Mistakes - Private Collection, Hermanus, South Africa

Mirror Mirror - Private Collection, London, UK

Nimoy - Private Collection, London, UK

Visceral #53 - Private Collection, Hermanus, South Africa

Before - Private Collection, London, UK

Visceral #58 - Private Collection, London, UK

TSDOS#35 - Private Collection, Hermanus, South Africa

Visceral #56 - Private Collection, London, UK

Visceral #57 - Private Collection, Hermanus, South Africa

Visceral #37 - Private Collection, Germany

Boy - Private Collection, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Visceral #71- Private Collection, Germany

36 Degrees - Private Collection, Woodstock, South Africa

Enough is Enough - Private Collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Visceral #76 - Private Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa

Underbelly - Private Collection, Pretoria, South Africa

Visceral #47- Private Collection, Germany

Visceral #80 - Private Collection, Switzerland, Europe

Drenched- Private Collection, Stuttgart, Germany

Cardinal Sin - Private Collection, Hermanus, RSA

Visceral #9 - Private collection, California, USA

Raccoon - Private Collection, Switzerland, Europe

Dearly Beloved #31 - Private collection, California, USA

Boy from the Struggle - Private Collection, Clarens, RSA

Fragility of Self - Private Collection, France, Europe

18210 - Private collection, NY, USA

Forsaken - Private collection, Cape Town, South Africa

Sister of Mercy - Private collection, New York, USA

Lemons - Private collection, Mexico City