Bridging the Disconnect
by
Grady T Zeeman
6 June 2025
Grady T Zeeman (b South Africa) is a contemporary painter who graduated from Cape Technicon as a Fashion Designer in 1988. She worked as a designer in Cape Town, before marriage and moving back to her home town.
As painting was her first love, she decided to give it more attention. She earnestly developed her technical skills in oil painting, and broadened her knowledge through courses in Art History, navigating the art world and curating exhibitions.
In 2008, she had her first international group exhibition in India, and in October 2020 her first solo exhibition in Rome, Italy. She has participated in various exhibitions in South Africa, USA, UK, Europe, and Asia. Zeeman has also taken part in the Florence Biennale 2011, Siel de Paris 2012, London Biennale 2019, and Amsterdam Art Fair 2019.
Her work has been published in NY Arts Magazine, South African Art Times, Arttour International Magazine (mentioned as a Top Artist to watch in 2018 and 2024), “50 Artists to Watch” 2023 edition by Florence Contemporary, as well as numerous other books and magazines. She has received several art prizes and has been a finalist in a couple of art competitions, as well as a Finalist in the Global Art Awards in Dubai 2017.
From 2011 to 2017 Zeeman was the owner of the Kunstehuijs Art Gallery where she exhibited her own work, as well as the work of other South African artists.
She is currently represented by Artio Gallery - Toronto; Art Screen TV - Basel; Maison Contemporain - Paris; Cavendish Contemporary Gallery - Cape Town
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In our modern era of technology and digital connection, true human communication and meaningful interaction have often become elusive. As Bob Moorehead so aptly observed: "The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less ... We buy more, but enjoy less ... we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication;”
Despite being more "connected" than ever before through smartphones, social media, and endless messaging platforms, many people feel increasingly isolated, misunderstood, and starved for genuine interaction.
Effective communication is the foundation of strong and healthy connections, yet too many individuals struggle to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs. Addressing the issue of poor communication requires fostering self-awareness, improving active listening skills, and creating safe spaces for open and honest dialogue, which unfortunately is rarely mastered.
Equally concerning is the growing neglect of the relationship and communication with one's spiritual higher self, an essential connection to the divine, and a source of wisdom, guidance, and enlightenment.
My artistic practice explores this disconnect, delving into the psychology of communication in our contemporary world. Through the layering of acrylic and oil paint, as well as the interplay of colours, I aim to create depth and complexity that symbolises the intricacy of human emotions and connectivity.
Ultimately, this body of work serves as a thoughtful reflection on the bittersweet paradoxes that pervade contemporary communication. It invites the viewer to consider how we might reclaim genuine, meaningful dialogue and a sense of community in an age that often appears to work against our most fundamental human needs for connection and understanding.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BUYERS IN PRETORIA WILL ALSO NEED TO PAY A COURIER FEE AS GRADY IS IN CAPE TOWN
Grady T Zeeman
"Dialogue Disrupted"
2025
In this painting, I captured the
profound alienation of modern
interpersonal communication, where
digital connections systematically
erode the intimacy of human
interaction. The painting confronts
viewers with the stark disconnection:
a man, his attention completely
absorbed by his smartphone, his
partner beside him, desperate for
attention and deep conversations.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
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Grady T Zeeman
"Digital Divide"
2025
With this painting, I explore the rifts
that the digital divide can create
within our personal relationships. In
our modern world, people are often
engaged, sharing ideas, and
strengthening bonds through
technology, yet they so often miss
opportunities for deep, in-person
connections right in front of them.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Disconnected Dialogues"
2025
In this painting, though the figures
are close, their body language and
averted gazes suggest a profound
disconnect. They inhabit the same
physical space, but exist in their own
mental and emotional realms, unable
or unwilling to truly engage with one
another.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
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Grady T Zeeman
"Fractured Frequencies"
2025
In this work, I capture the moment
when a couple's conversation
disintegrates into conflict - not
through physical gestures of anger,
but through the subtle visual
language of misalignment. This work
invites viewers to reflect on those
moments when we stand face-to-face with someone we love,
speaking different emotional
languages despite sharing the same
physical space.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Fruitless Dialogue"
2025
In this painting I explore the subtle
dynamics of human connection and
disconnection through the portrayal
of an intimate yet fractured
exchange between two individuals. I
invite viewers to recognize patterns
from their own relationships—those
moments when vulnerability meets
indifference, when one soul reaches
outward while another retreats
inward. The space between the
figures serves as the true subject of
the painting—a visual representation
of emotional distance that exists
even in physical proximity.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Generation Gap"
2025
The generational divide is a universal
experience that transcends time and
culture. In this painting, I aim to
explore the complexities of the
generation gap - the disconnect in
values, perspectives, and modes of
communication that can arise
between older and younger
individuals, further aggravated by the
rapid pace of technological
advancement.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
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Grady T Zeeman
"Hopeless Interchange"
2025
This painting captures the agonizing
disconnect between a couple who
used to be intimate partners. The
gulf between them is palpable, a
chasm that neither seems able or
willing to bridge. This work explores
the profound loneliness that can
arise when one person emotionally
withdraws, leaving the other to
wrestle with feelings of
abandonment and hopelessness.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Shattered Reflections"
2025
In this work, I aim to explore the
fracturing impact of cyber bullying
on identity and self-perception in our
digital age. When someone is
repeatedly targeted online, the cruel
words and harsh judgments begin to
infiltrate their self-concept. The
constant bombardment of negative
messages—whether about
appearance, intelligence, personality,
or social status—can gradually be
accepted as truth.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Unspoken Divide"
2025
This painting explores the profound
silence that can develop between
two people who once shared
everything. Engrossed in their
individual digital lives, this work
captures that moment when silence
transforms from comfortable to
suffocating, when the weight of
unspoken words becomes too heavy
to bear. This work serves as a
meditation on the gradual erosion of
intimacy, the way love can slip
through fingers like sand, not in
dramatic storms, but in the quiet
moments of disconnection that
accumulate over time
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Viral Whispers"
2025
In this work, I explore the
paradoxical intimacy and
disconnection of modern social
interaction through the lens of digital
gossip. The painting captures two
individuals sharing a moment of
complicity as they view someone
else's social media presence—their
laughter both connecting them to
each other while simultaneously
creating distance from the unseen
subject of their amusement.
Oil on Canvas
60cm x 60cm
R 45 000
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Grady T Zeeman
"Disconnected"
2024
In this oil painting, I aimed to capture
a moment of disconnect amidst
connectivity, using vibrant, yet
melancholic strokes inherent to
expressionism. The juxtaposition of
individuals absorbed in their
separate worlds, despite their
physical proximity, mirrors
contemporary societal interactions.
Oil on Canvas
70cm x 100cm
R 67 000
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Grady T Zeeman
"Observing"
2024
Through this artwork, I aim to evoke
the shared yet unique experiences of
humankind, highlighting how public
spaces serve as the stage for life's
quiet dramas and how we are
sometimes more focused on other
people than those next to us.
Oil on Canvas
70cm x 100cm
R 67 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Grady T Zeeman
"Chitter-Chatter"
2024
In this painting I hope to convey a
lively, hopeful ambiance that
elevates any space with a reminder
of the joy found in human
connection.
Oil on Canvas
70cm x 100cm
R 67 000
Click here for purchase enquiry
Thank you
for joining us,
we hope you
enjoyed
the work!
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