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SNS CATALOGUE 2022 - Book - Page 77


SOLO
SOLO
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
SOLO EXHIBITION
Supernature: Simulacra, a solo exhibition by
multidisciplinary artist, Andrea du Plessis, is a deepening of
her research into the sublime experience and our complex
relationship with nature in an age marked by technological
augmentation and simulation. As an extension of the
Supernature series Du Plessis began in 2020, her body of
work explores the integration of emerging technologies
with traditional oil painting to create interactive,
immersive realms.
74
As a species living in the Anthropocene Era we are
currently questioning our environmental impact, becoming
more aware of our interconnectivity with the web of life
that sustains us. Simultaneously, humanity’s quest for
technological advancement encourages us to spend more
time in digital space, changing the way we access and
experience nature.
Andrea du Plessis
The Wanderer, 2022
Oil on canvas
116 cm x 90 cm
SASOL NEW SIGNATURES • 2022 CATALOGUE
By juxtaposing the Romantic tradition of landscape
painting with emerging technologies, Supernature:
Simulacra aims to create a link between nineteenth century
and contemporary representations and experiences of
nature while offering the viewer an opportunity to consider
our interconnectivity with the natural world. Through
the use of augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial
intelligence, it examines the contemporary sublime
experience - the technological sublime - whilst aiming to
create a new, hybrid form of nature - techno-nature.
SOLO EXHIBITION
75
BIOGRAPHY
Andrea du Plessis (born 1980) is multi-disciplinary artist based
in Cape Town, specializing primarily in the fields of traditional
painting and new media. She has studied Fine Arts at the
University of Pretoria, completed a postgraduate diploma in Art
Therapy in the UK, as well as a degree in Multimedia Digital Visual
Arts through UNISA (Cum Laude). As the overall winner of the
prestigious Sasol New Signatures award in 2021, Du Plessis will
showcase her first solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum
in 2022.
Du Plessis uses her practice as a means of exploring humanity’s
complex relationship to both nature and technology. The Covid-19
pandemic has sparked in her an interest in the sublime experience
and the interplay between nature, technology and spirituality.
Her creative methodology involves extensive experimentation with
emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR), algorithmic
art, image and sound generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as
well as virtual reality (VR). She revisits antiquity through her use
of traditional oil painting techniques used by the old masters,
such as glazing and the golden ratio, while exploring ways of
integrating traditional media with modern technologies. By
juxtaposing the 19th century Romantic tradition of painting
with contemporary, emerging technologies she aims to create a
tension-filled interface, momentarily transporting the viewer into
a familiar yet alien world, while offering an opportunity to reflect
on their connection with nature.
SASOL NEW SIGNATURES • 2022 CATALOGUE
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