Jessica Michelle Le Roux visual artist
"Creating is a part of the way I know how to exist. For me, its an integral reflection of daily experience, observation and growth."
artist statement
"As a South African female artist, my work is dedicated to documenting the socio-political landscape of our time. I strive to highlight the butterfly effect of what is passed on through generational worldviews and to bring mindfulness to our purpose as individuals. I am inspired by rural scenes, fleeting moments of observation, and imagery that speaks to South African existence. In my two-dimensional work, I record traces of human presence within the vastness of rural and peripheral landscapes. Drawing from impressionistic techniques, my work is imbued with layers of history and contemporary markers.
Through my bronze and ceramic sculptures, I create both relief and figurative works that explore our deep sensory connection to the world around us. South African humour—a potjie pot of global culture, quirky traits, and idiosyncrasies—often finds its way into my art. By engaging with the markings of the past and the structures of the present, I encourage mindful contemplation of our existence in harmony with both the natural world and society. My work seeks to inspire awareness of the evolving worldviews shaping our communities.
Ultimately, I create to document the moments that have made a lasting impression on my heart. My practice contributes to the ongoing conversation of who we are, how we serve our purpose, and how we live together in this shared world—with an emphasis on preserving the natural environment and fostering peaceful coexistence."
artistIC BACKGROUND
A brief overview of the artist's roots.
"I have always been intrigued by visual dialogue and the role art plays in society, which naturally directed my studies. I graduated in 2007 having obtained a BA at Tshwane University of technology. I was born in 1989 in Modimolle and have resided in Limpopo, Gauteng, The Western Cape, the Karoo and once again returned to the Western Cape where my family currently resides.
My career has been enabled through practicing as an artist, facilitating art workshops, managing galleries and, art consulting for both corporate and private collections."
artistIC MEDIA
Interdisciplinary approach
"Interdisciplinary: integrating methods and knowledge from different disciplines by utilising a genuine synthesis of approaches. I find the purpose of my practice often transcends in building up layers of combined media processes within bodies of work. For example, digital collage is developed from originals and selective mixed media materials are utilised in originals. In addition, I often embellish ceramic work with non-traditional materials and make use of unusual patinas in my bronze finishes. I often create two-dimensional backdrops for my three-dimensional work, allowing me to shape environments and immerse a space with an experience embodying conceptual frameworks through interactions, technology and installations."
what i CREATE
My practice is shaped by an ongoing dialogue between diverse themes and materials, each contributing to the conceptual frameworks I explore.
In both my painting and sculptural work, I am a purist at heart. Scientific formulation, preservation techniques, and archival standards are deeply ingrained in my process, ensuring the longevity and integrity of each piece. I dedicate significant time to testing material interactions, substrates, and products before committing to a body of work, allowing for a considered and sustainable practice.
Interdisciplinary art-making lies at the core of my creative process, particularly in my digital collage work, where various mediums and approaches inform and enrich one another—seamlessly transferring from the tangible to the digital. The archival limited edition prints on canvas are what leave my studio, while the original process work remains with me, serving as both reference and reflection.
Figurative sculpture
Many of my depictions deal with trying to represent archetypes of human emotion and existence, reflecting on the ‘worldview’ by considering our surrounds, influences and the patterns we find instiled within society and our direct environments. Much of my work is created within a calculated relation between two-dimensional and three-dimensional facets. I have an enduring fascination with the definition of a matrix. The secondary pictures in my layered works often show how we would form if the details of the primary image would reform with greater coherence. In essence, my work explores the journey of knowledge by depicting scopes of reality, observations and experiences in the quiet, thoughtful spaces of the mind.
Atmospheric LANDSCAPES
It is so interesting to hear of varied art interpretations as the brain naturally wants to make sense of and identify with what is being viewed based on the individuals life experiences and understanding. Art withholds an uncanny ability to transport the mind to a different headspace. For me, impressions of the natural world enable this experience in a manner, unlike any other. Human existance is subtly portrayed in the landscapes depicted through silhouttes , road signs text or trails to emphasise the vastness, impact and scale of our existence.
DIGITAL collage
In my practice, digital collage enables the conceptual framework to speak strongly, facets within each piece build up like layers of memory triggers and nostalgia as the sense of a experience is captured. I work with details and textures documented in my original artworks, historical archives, clippings and bits and bobs horded over the years.
KÜNSTLERBIOGRAFIE
Jessica Michelle Le Roux (* 1989) ist eine südafrikanische Bildhauerin und interdisziplinäre Künstlerin. Sie erhielt 2010 ihren BA an der Tshwane University of Technology mit Schwerpunkt Skulptur und gedrucktes Bild. Ihre Disziplinen speisen sich gegenseitig aus, da Jess häufig eine Beziehung zwischen Ebenen und den Facetten in den von ihr geschaffenen Umgebungen herstellt.
Eine Ikone der Arbeit der Künstlerin ist ihre Nutzung des negativen Raums, die Art und Weise, wie die dargestellten Wesen geerdet sind, und ihre lebendige Verwendung von Texturen und Farben in verschiedenen Disziplinen. Ihre Arbeit hinterfragt vorgefasste Weltanschauungen und beleuchtet die Folgen des Schmetterlingseffekts. Auf diese Weise versucht Jess, unsere Generationenperspektiven, Denkmuster und unsere kollektiven Auswirkungen auf die Welt ins Bewusstsein zu rücken.
Jess 'Arbeit befindet sich in Unternehmens- und Privatsammlungen auf lokaler und internationaler Ebene. Im Februar 2020 freute sich Jess, mit der AVA Gallery auf der Investec Cape Town Art Fair zu präsentieren. Die Arbeiten des Künstlers wurden in den Finalisten von Sasol New Signatures, Thami Mnyele und Absa L'Ateliers Art Awards ausgewählt. Derzeit arbeitet Jess an einem Werk in Bronze mit dem Titel The Senses, das 2021 vorgestellt wird. Neben ihrer Kunstpraxis ist Jess aktiv an Projekten und Kunstinitiativen beteiligt.
