Conversations with place by Joani Groenewald

Artist list

Joani Groenewald

Through my art practice, I examine how jewellery and sculptural forms can embody and translate the landscapes of South Africa. My work draws inspiration from my lived experiences in both the Groot Drakenstein area of the Western Cape, where I currently reside, and the farm in the Eastern Cape where I spent my childhood. Each piece acts as a marker of place and identity, revealing the deep interconnections between people and their natural environments.
 
The exhibition moves beyond language and traditional, two-dimensional modes of representation. By translating landscape into a three-dimensional, sensory experience, the work invites viewers to engage with South African landscapes through tactile, spatial, and immersive forms. This body of work and its accompanying research reflect a practice-based approach, inviting active bodily engagement with place and promoting a sensory-rich understanding of the landscapes we inhabit.
 
Through these art objects, I seek to foster an awareness of how the land shapes us and, in turn, how we inscribe meaning upon it. This sensory journey allows for a reflective space, engaging with translation not merely as linguistic but as embodied—an invitation to feel, see, and connect deeply with the layered stories of South African land.

About artist:
Joani Groenewald is a lecturer in the Visual Arts Department at Stellenbosch University. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Art (Creative Jewellery and Metal Design) from the same institution, which she earned in 2009. After completing a two-year professional internship, she qualified as a goldsmith in 2011. In 2015, she received a Master of Visual Arts degree with distinction from Stellenbosch University. Currently, she is concluding a PhD in Jewellery and Object Design from PXL-MAD and Uhasselt in Belgium and Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

Opening information:
4 November til 15 November

Exhibition Production:
Curator: Bianca Davis, Creative Jewellery and Metal Design Division, Esma Botha, GUS, and GUS Volunteers.