Artist/ Actress Olga du Toit, based in Cape town, is launching an innovative new art
project at The Black Box/Worldart on Thursday, 13 December from 6.30pm to 9pm.
Entitled 1000facesonpaper.com, this is the artist’s first solo exhibition after being
selected as a SASOL new signatures finalist in 2011 for her work called ‘Daily Fix’.
Inspired by graphic novels, comics and the works of French artist and printmaker
Henri Matisse, Du Toit created and developed her own unique style of sketching a
face. The project,1000facesonpaper.com illustrates different forms of human facial
expressions, gestures and angles set in a series of 1000 prints. The first edition of
twenty-five faces will be on exhibition.
“The challenge I set myself was to render each face by using the simplest of lines to
convey expression and personality”, Du Toit explains.
Du Toit’s objective is to have each face speak directly to the mind of the viewer by
means of creating just a few expressive lines of ink. She is excited by the scope,
possibilities and uniqueness of this project to the idea that it can be interpreted and
shared to a global audience online.
“In the words of Matisse, ‘I am training my drawing hand to serve me; every ink
drawing I do, is a face waiting to be born on paper” , She says.
Each ink drawing is printed into an edition using the intaglio printing process. The
prints consist of an edition of 10 prints per face to a final total of 1000 prints. The
print sizes are approximately 35x35 cm from a 20 x 20 cm size plate that is hand
printed onto 250gsm Zerkall Butten Paper. Everything from the tearing of the paper
to the printing is done by hand resulting in slight variations that render each print
unique.
Du Toit sees herself as a creative entrepreneur or creative adventurer. She likes to
explore art in all its forms and merging conceptual ideas, music, design and
photography. 1000facesonpaper.com is one of a kind art project and may just be
the largest online series of ink drawings in the world.
The prints are available to purchase online at 1000facesonpaper.com.
On The Black box/Worldart
Worldart has acquired a new gallery space immediately next door to their
current gallery in Church Street, at number 52. The Black box opened last
week and will focus on identifying new talent with strong potential. For more
information, visit www.blackboxgallery.co.za
