Artists

MJ Lourens is a multi-disciplinary contemporary South African artist, currently based in Cape Town. He was born in Pretoria and studied Fine Art Sculpture between 1992 and 1996 at the University of Pretoria. In 1995, Lourens won the Sasol New Signatures Competition, which was exhibited at the Pretoria Art Gallery. His practice includes painting, sculpture, and filmmaking. The artist’s sculptures, influenced by the surrealist movement, consist of human forms with heads replaced by a variety of found objects as representations of the human sub-conscious. Lourens has directed and produced numerous films, including Pa/Father which was screened at the Commonwealth Film Festival in 2006.

MJ Lourens has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions in South Africa and in the United Kingdom. His work is represented in many public and private collections throughout South Africa.

Biography courtesy of the artist.