Reverie
a Micro.Exhibit
9 May 2025
Geneve Potgieter, Josly Liebenberg, Lelani Nicolaisen
Founded by three fine artists, Micro.Exhibits aims to curate intimate exhibitions that encourage a dialogue of current subject matters. We plan on exploring contemporary themes within visual art and to employ social media as a tool to converse within research culture.
Reverie
A state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts, lost in a daydream. Our desire to refocus our awareness from the surrounding natural and ideological environments toward introspection is reactionary. As artists we feel displaced by AI's ability to simulate and the disparities on social media fuel our inclination to connect with our surroundings in a different way. To distinguish ourselves from the quick-fix solution that social media and AI offer to engage with the world around us, this exhibition proposes that the differentiating detail between artists and AI is the ability to daydream, the ability to envelop an environment subconsciously. Although art practice is a cognitive process from conceptual research, studio practice to exhibition design, we as artists offer an emotional and subjective portrayal of our surroundings. We portray what AI can't, the human experience. Reverie is an exhibition of three daydreamers whose artworks are recognisable in the escapist sentiment that runs through it. Reverie explores an unmediated version of the human relationship with nature. The current status quo of capitalist consumerism that drives an increase in pollution and global warming frames the portrayal of nature, not only in an environmentally concerned light, but it also touches on political, social and cultural inadequacies. Not all of the complexities of the natural environment are explored in the scope of this exhibition, however a sense of intimate botanical details, larger ecosystems and vast landscapes speak of how dependent humans and nature are on each other.
GENEVE POTGIETER
Memoir Series
Geneve Potgieter's work embodies her appreciation for the natural environment. Being influenced by discourses of environmental awareness, her work renders an ambiguous reflection towards a transient world. The abstraction of Potgieter's subject matter creates a dissociation, which leaves a resolution just out of reach. Her work challenges a sense of familiarity, reflecting on intuitive preservation. Through her chosen mediums of charcoal, graphite and acrylics a close scrutiny of the more intimate parts of nature are considered, which are constantly in flux between an apprehensiveness of ecological loss and naïve admiration.
The Memoir Series 2025, recalls scenes from the artist's travels through the Eastern Cape highlands. Each recollection originates around a pathway either carved out over time by the elements, or by cumulative human interaction. Just as these trails become enveloped by the landscape, with each reminiscence the artist becomes more drawn into her musings. The scenery gently transforms into dreamscapes, collectively yearning for a resolution from our displaced selves.
South African artist Geneve Potgieter received her bachelor's degree in fine art from the University of Pretoria. Potgieter [née Eloff] is published in the 3rd Edition of The Collector's Guide to Art and Artists in South Africa and her work forms part of a selection of corporate and private collections. Following her studies she entered the interior design industry with a focus on sustainable design, which remains to influence her current works' conceptualisation.
Geneve Potgieter
"A Memoir to the Mountains"
2025
Charcoal, pastel and acrylic on 3mm HDF board
40cm x 60cm x 4cm
Unframed
R 3 850
Click here for purchase enquiry
Geneve Potgieter
"A Memoir to the Highlands"
2025
Charcoal, pastel and acrylic on 3mm HDF board
40cm x 60cm x 4cm
Unframed
R 3 750
Click here for purchase enquiry
Geneve Potgieter
"A Memoir to the Self"
2025
Charcoal, pastel and acrylic on 3mm HDF board
40cm x 60cm x 4cm
Unframed
R 3 500
Click here for purchase enquiry
JOSLY LIEBENBERG
Josly Liebenberg explores the Afromontane mist belt forest biome of the Magoebaskloof region in this body of work. Under investigation is the network of waterfalls and streams that allow plant species to flourish and decompose into forest debris that nourish the soil. The observed ecological community that is found within this subtropical forest is documented in black and white ink drawings with watercolour washes added to selective artworks. These artist's impressions depict the experience of the forest through the lens of a hiker as the landscape is perceived from shifting vantage points while tracking through untouched terrain. Mounted in pod-like round frames, the artworks not only speak of conserving the pristine natural environment but also of preserving these moments of perception and connection.
South African artist, Josly Liebenberg [née van Wyk], holds a master's and bachelor's degree in fine art from the University of Pretoria. After completing her studies, Liebenberg worked in the furniture design space, where the order of development led her to value process-oriented thinking. Liebenberg has exhibited locally in Pretoria and in Cape Town and internationally in Geneva, Switzerland and in Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Josly Liebenberg
"Magoebaskloof Braambessie"
2025
Ink on Fabriano
Diameter of 24.5cm
Framed
R 2 900
SOLD
LELANI NICOLAISEN
Lelani Nicolaisen explores notions of the everyday human connection with the spaces they are immersed within. Her paintings capture the often overlooked in-between moments in life - the forgotten moments or spaces that aren't seen as worthy of remembering. When looking from a distance, these moments become precious as one could never return to that exact moment in time. Nicolaisen photographs scenes from her everyday surroundings of people and spaces that are known or unfamiliar to her. These photographs are later revisited to be translated into cherished paintings. By excluding urban elements, she elevates the natural environment within her work. Notions of space and time play an important role within her work. Her work confronts ideas of loss, trauma and renewal.
Lelani Nicolaisen is an artist and curator, currently residing in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. She has a degree in Fine Arts and a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Pretoria. Nicolaisen participated in the International Curatorial Program as well as the Inclusive Curatorial Practices: Accessibility, Representation and Diversity Program, both at Node Centre for Curatorial Studies. Her work is in public collections such as the University of Pretoria and the Art bank of South Africa. Nicolaisen has exhibited locally in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and internationally in Nottingham, England.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BUYERS IN PRETORIA WILL ALSO NEED TO PAY A COURIER FEE AS LELANI IS IN PLETTENBERG BAY
Thank you
for joining us,
we hope you
enjoyed
the work!
All the artworks are for sale.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the works, please email us at
artlovers1932@gmail.com
The prices exclude shipping
and arrangements can be made for paying off any purchases, interest free, over a reasonable period of time.
