Paravent

Southern Guild presents Paravent by Olaf Hajek, in collaboration with WHATIFTHEWORLD, the German painter’s third solo show in Cape Town. The paintings in this new body of work depict still lives, interiors, portraits and landscapes, whose theatricality is heightened by the recurring motif of a folding screen (“paravent” in French).

A technically perfect illustrator, Hajek paints enchanting scenes of arresting patterns, botanical wonders and charged characters, in which nature and artifice become intertwined. The artist collects mental images, compiling a vast trove of visual references while trawling magazines, travelling abroad or wandering the Internet. African traditions, Indian temple art, South American folklore and pop culture find new expressions in his almost surreal tableaux. He plays with motifs of flora and fauna, archaic symbols and the spirit of the times, feeding it all into his work with tremendous detail and vibrant colour.

The works on show were all painted by Olaf during a recent residency in Cape Town. Grouped in pairs, they tell unique stories that hint at various myths, folklore and dreams. One such work is The Big Globe, inspired by old taxidermy objects, here the birds have come to life as they try to escape the threat of a snake. In its partner painting, Departure, all the decorative elements have come to life as they embark on an unknown journey.