Solo Studios 2025

October 24, 2025 - October 26, 2025

Hoofstraat Conceptual, Riebeek Kasteel

Emma Willemse

Artist Statement

Solo Studios 2025

My art making practice is a vehicle to explore ideas linked to the experience of loss. I am interested in how this experience affects the constructs of place, identity and memory. My research in the displacement knowledge field resulted in the conclusion that the loss of place is experienced not only on a physical level, but also on a psychological, sociological and cultural level.  

I have recently rekindled my interest in knowledge systems in my art practice. As a former librarian I am acutely aware and critical of the way that knowledge is acquired, consumed and disseminated. I have commented on outdated or inadequate knowledge systems through bookmaking, printmaking, papermaking and installations. 

My point of departure in art-making is through the engagement with material – to experiment with and to manipulate material until it becomes a carrier of meaning. I use found materials that reference specific sites and their history, such as paint shards peeled from a wall or parquet floor blocks from a demolished house. My aim is to employ material as a metaphor, not only in a physical three-dimensional way but also in a pictorial way in my two-dimensional work. This approach find its manifestation in artworks that are technically varied, including sculptural and site-specific installations, drawing, painting, printmaking, artist’s bookmaking, photography and film. 

At this point in time, I am working towards a big one-person show at the Oliewenhuis Museum in Bloemfontein, which will happen during mid 2026. At the 2025 Solo Studios am showing my progress towards the show at Oliewenhuis, which include a range of works in process as well as some smaller finished works.