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Goodman Gallery presents a series of new paintings by Cape Town-based artist Marsi van de Heuvel, titled Skoonveld - an Afrikaans word selected by the artist for its implied study of the act of disappearing. For these works, the malleable medium of paint is deployed to explore the act of fading as part of the artist’s broader interest in what it means to belong to a place, to a family and to a particular culture.

Applying the word “skoonveld” to the systematic historical erasure of the culture of a diverse group of people whom the apartheid government labelled “coloured”, the artist explores this erasure through her discovery of family photographs that record their experiences living in Upington, Graaff Reinet and Umtata during this period in South Africa’s history:

 

Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery
Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery

Suits, 2023
Oil on linen
95 x 140 x 2.5 cm / 37.4 x 55 x 1 in.

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I use the mediation of these photographs to bridge past to present, to feel out what resonates, what I connect with, what’s worth keeping and to preserve what needs to be re-imagined, reframed, restored, and repaired - van de Heuvel

Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery

Nourish, 2023
Oil on lInen
42 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 16.5 x 12.6 x 1 in

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Cropped compositions recreate ordinary scenes such as children at school, a father holding his young daughter and women dressed in their Sunday best. Inviting the viewer to recognise themselves, their own families and the legacy of identity in the absence of a formally recorded history. This painstaking reinterpretation and commemoration of these photographs explore the lives of her family members through the legacy of trauma caused by apartheid’s racial classifications and forced removals.


 

Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery

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Thumb-Show Thumbnails
Best foot forward, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 61 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 24 x 1 in.

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Best foot forward, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 61 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 24 x 1 in.

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In Arms II, 2023
Oil on Linen
43.5 x 34 x 2.5 cm / 17.1 x 13.4 x 1 in.

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In Arms II, 2023
Oil on Linen
43.5 x 34 x 2.5 cm / 17.1 x 13.4 x 1 in.

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Homes, 2023
Oil on Linen
44 x 44 x 2.5 cm / 17.3 x 17.3 x 1 in.

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Homes, 2023
Oil on Linen
44 x 44 x 2.5 cm / 17.3 x 17.3 x 1 in.

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Best foot forward, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 61 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 24 x 1 in.

Enquire

Best foot forward, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 61 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 24 x 1 in.

Enquire

In Arms II, 2023
Oil on Linen
43.5 x 34 x 2.5 cm / 17.1 x 13.4 x 1 in.

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In Arms II, 2023
Oil on Linen
43.5 x 34 x 2.5 cm / 17.1 x 13.4 x 1 in.

Enquire

Homes, 2023
Oil on Linen
44 x 44 x 2.5 cm / 17.3 x 17.3 x 1 in.

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Homes, 2023
Oil on Linen
44 x 44 x 2.5 cm / 17.3 x 17.3 x 1 in.

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Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery
Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery

Reader, 2023
Oil on Linen
42 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 16.5 x 12.6 x 1 in.

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Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery

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Slide-Show Thumbnails
Together, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 16.5 x 1 in.

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Together, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 16.5 x 1 in.

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Respite, 2023
Oil On linen
43 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 17 x 12.6 x 1 in.

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Respite, 2023
Oil On linen
43 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 17 x 12.6 x 1 in.

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Apple and tree, 2023
Oil On linen
42 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 16.5 x 12.6 x 1 in.

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Apple and tree, 2023
Oil On linen
42 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 16.5 x 12.6 x 1 in.

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Shiny shoes, 2023
Oil On linen
95 x 140 x 2.5 cm / 37.4 x 55.1 x 1 in.

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Shiny shoes, 2023
Oil On linen
95 x 140 x 2.5 cm / 37.4 x 55.1 x 1 in.

Enquire

Holding, 2023
Oil on linen
32 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 12.6 x 16.5 x 1 in.

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Holding, 2023
Oil on linen
32 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 12.6 x 16.5 x 1 in.

Enquire

Vanishing, 2023
Oil on linen
Work: 61.5 x 96 x 2.5 cm / 24.2 x 37.8 x 1 in.

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Vanishing, 2023
Oil on linen
Work: 61.5 x 96 x 2.5 cm / 24.2 x 37.8 x 1 in.

Enquire

Together, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 16.5 x 1 in.

Enquire

Together, 2023
Oil on linen
61 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 24 x 16.5 x 1 in.

Enquire

Respite, 2023
Oil On linen
43 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 17 x 12.6 x 1 in.

Enquire

Respite, 2023
Oil On linen
43 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 17 x 12.6 x 1 in.

Enquire

Apple and tree, 2023
Oil On linen
42 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 16.5 x 12.6 x 1 in.

Enquire

Apple and tree, 2023
Oil On linen
42 x 32 x 2.5 cm / 16.5 x 12.6 x 1 in.

Enquire

Shiny shoes, 2023
Oil On linen
95 x 140 x 2.5 cm / 37.4 x 55.1 x 1 in.

Enquire

Shiny shoes, 2023
Oil On linen
95 x 140 x 2.5 cm / 37.4 x 55.1 x 1 in.

Enquire

Holding, 2023
Oil on linen
32 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 12.6 x 16.5 x 1 in.

Enquire

Holding, 2023
Oil on linen
32 x 42 x 2.5 cm / 12.6 x 16.5 x 1 in.

Enquire

Vanishing, 2023
Oil on linen
Work: 61.5 x 96 x 2.5 cm / 24.2 x 37.8 x 1 in.

Enquire

Vanishing, 2023
Oil on linen
Work: 61.5 x 96 x 2.5 cm / 24.2 x 37.8 x 1 in.

Enquire

Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery
Marsi van der Heuvel | Skoonveld -  - Viewing Room - Goodman Gallery

Marsi van de Heuvel’s (b. 1987, Cape Town) painting practice investigates a personal familial history as part of a broader reflection of the history of South Africa. Her work specifically explores themes related to place and the complexities around a shared sense of belonging. Van de Heuvel graduated with a Fine Art Diploma from the Ruth Prowse School of Art, Cape Town, in 2010.