South African artist Kirsten Beets is known for her oil paintings depicting scenes from a place “between the real and imagined, a painted mythology that explores ethical realities.” We featured her series based on Kalk Bay, a place in South Africa home to man-made geometric shaped pools. The paintings create a palpable sense of hazy summer days, complete with sounds of children splashing water and smells of sunscreen. Her work often tells stories of conflicting themes like leisure and decay – her Kalk Bay series being, in part, a reaction to the water crisis in South Africa at the time of its creation – but it’s also just about feeling good: “I needed that - to paint some positivity,” she says. Kirsten’s work has been exhibited in London, Sydney, Venice and Johannesburg.
