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Creatives to showcase works from Baker’s Bay Artists’ Retreat

Creatives to showcase works from Baker’s Bay Artists’ Retreat

A group of artists will be presenting an exhibition resulting from the Baker’s Bay Artists’ Retreat on 15 October 2022 at Beronnies, Oranjemund.

From 1 to 16 October 2022, 13 artists attended an Artists’ Retreat at Baker’s Bay in the Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park. These artists work in a variety of media and specialties which influenced their unique responses to the experience of the retreat and environment they were immersed in.

The artists are Hercules Viljoen, Kambezunda Ngavee, Isai Alfeus, Wayne Goliath, Rachel Sakeus, Elisia Nghidishange, Ismael Shivute, John Kalunda, Nicky Marais, Maria Mbereshu, Ann Mary Gollifer, Mia Nel, and Jakobina Nashikwele Gideon. All artists lived and worked in the former, abandoned mining village of Baker’s Bay.

This remote environment meant that the retreat offered a chance for the artists to pursue their creative practice in an uninterrupted, dedicated manner. Artists used this opportunity to learn from each other and be inspired by the incredibly unique environment and its social history.

The result is an exceptional exhibition of artworks that vary in style, medium, and content, but share the same set of distinctive conditions that formed them. These artworks and the exhibition as a whole show that through art, complex themes and information can be highlighted, communicated, and made accessibly.

“Working outside, in beautiful places, alongside other artists is the ultimate joy, add to this communal living and surroundings full of fascinating forms (both human-made and natural) and you are close to my ideal working environment,” (Nicky Marais, 2022)

The 2022 Baker’s Bay Artists’ Retreat is the second of its kind. As part of OMDis’ Art Can Transform project, an Artists’ Retreat was held at Bogenfels in 2021. It resulted in 63 original artworks being produced on-site which were successfully exhibited in Oranjemund and Windhoek.

This project laid the groundwork for a truly unique and sought-after experience. The Artists’ Retreat is set to become an annual event, not just on the Oranjemund calendar, but also for Namibia.

This retreat was sponsored by Namdeb the former custodian of the National Park, and the incumbent mine in the area.


Artists visiting previous Art Can Transform project murals in Oranjemund. (@StArt Art Gallery)


 

About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys