Dutch artist Heleen Verwey, who has recently settled in Durban, will present her first South African exhibition at the NSA Main Gallery. The exhibition opens on October 17 at 16h00 to run until November 4.

After completing her studies in graphic design at the Akademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Rotterdam, Heleen Verwey took part in group shows (too numerous to mention) before going solo and exhibiting in several major galleries throughout Europe. Her work is in the permanent collection of the prestigious Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

Heleen Verwey came to South Africa in February this year. She then travelled through Namibia and Botswana where she made contact with the San and Herero and Himba peoples. These experiences influenced her work and she has incorporated tribal symbols in her recent paintings which she created by building layers of paint such as sand, raw pigments and found objects.

The Heleen Verwey exhibition runs in conjunction with Fibre Art ‘99 which will be on display in the NSA Mezzanine Gallery.