ABOUT THE ARTIST

Tarien Bruwer, (b.1991) is an abstract artist and designer who works intuitively, relying on her instincts to guide visual explorations of pattern and colour. Her aesthetic is rooted in her multidisciplinary background, showcasing a bold and graphic style.

She draws inspiration from the women who came before her and the writings of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Her love of threads, yarns and textiles – passed down from her mother, grandmother and great grandmother – makes her artworks irrevocably autobiographical.

The tactile quality in Tarien’s work is the result of using cotton and polyester threads as well as wool to create intricate weaves and textures. Different colour interactions unfold as these pieces unveil themselves, reflecting her inner and emotional world. Tarien embraces chance and accidental colour harmonies and clashes, the meditative process involved in making these pieces becomes part of the work. A gentle rebellion against the modern women today, described by Estés as “… a blur of activity. She is pressured to be all things to all people.”

Since childhood, Bruwer has embraced her art as a healing modality – a way to channel her thoughts, fears, complexities and anxieties in order to move through them.

ARTIST STATEMENT

“My art has always been a way of metabolising life and all of the feelings and emotions that come with it. I am a highly sensitive being and it took me a long time to embrace this as a gift. I feel and experience things intensely and so weaving these works into being soothes my nervous system. Intuition is my guide.

The motion of my hands is guided by a sort of remembrance, a meditative process that becomes more like resting than working for me. Medicine in fact. I am energised by the colours I use and the patterns that subsequently emerge.”

Bruwer studied at Stellenbosch University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities (majoring in Psychology and Visual Studies) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Visual Communications, which she completed at AAA School of Advertising, Cape Town. After graduating, she worked in the creative and fashion industries of Cape Town for four years before returning to her roots in the countryside, where she has access to more solitude and time for making art. Bruwer works from her art studio based in the Robertson Wine Valley, Western Cape, South Africa, where she is attempting to embrace a slower lifestyle. Her current focus is mothering a busy toddler boy and expanding her body of work using thread, paint and lately, wool as mediums.