The Worldart Gallery in Johannesburg is hosting a refreshing exhibition by two very different artists from 19 July to 12 August. Ian Waldeck and Pieter Swanepoel will show a body of work in which they explore and challenge our perception of the landscape as an art form.

A landscape is generally understood to portray the land’s visible features as well as living, abstract and human elements and the impact they have.

In typical Waldeck style, his chosen tool to explore the landscape is anarchy. The anatomy of the painting is used to illustrate his disgust at the plagues that keep torturing our landscapes. “I found the slashing and crunching that went with the creation of these works very liberating,” he says.

Swanepoel again, has a minimalist approach. His works are characterised by layering of used canvases and varnish. Visually and conceptually this changes the landscape as we know it leaving the onlooker with a new abstract view. But his modern approach never disregards the familiarity of the surroundings we know.

Combining Waldeck and Swanepoel’s perceptions of the landscape, the viewer will be left no choice but to review his own.

Title: Landscapes

Artists: Ian Waldeck and Pieter Swanepoel

Duration: 19 July – 12 August 2008

Address: The Worldart Gallery, 95 Commissioner Street (between Rissik and Loveday streets)