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
