Notes

Artist's Bio

Liberty Battson was born and raised in Benoni, South Africa. She matriculated from St. Dunstan's College in 2009 and graduated with a BA Fine Arts Degree at the University of Pretoria in 2013. Battson has a winning streak behind her, most notably: the 2014 Absa L’Atelier overall winner, the 2013 Sasol New Signatures merit award winner, and the 2012 Thami Mnyele Fine Arts painting merit award winner.

Battson has participated in numerous group exhibitions. She was also a featured artist at the 2015 and 2017 KKNK National Arts Festival in Oudtshoorn and the Clover Aardklop National Arts Festival in Potchefstroom (2016). Battson was featured as part of the Cool Capital initiative at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, the Emerging Painters exhibition at Turbine Art Fair 2016, the FNB Art fair 2016 (Everard Read Gallery), and the Cape Town Art fair 2017(Everard Read Gallery). Battson had her début solo exhibition at the Absa Gallery in June 2016 which traveled to CIRCA Cape Town later that year and was a sell-out show.

Battson exhibits exclusively with Everard Read Gallery (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Franschhoek and London). She had her sixth solo exhibition in June 2022 at Everard Read Cape Town and exhibits extensively throughout the year at all their gallery spaces.

Artist's Statement

Yellow on Yellow 64: Kelly was part of Battson's solo exhibition Dada Data in 2018. Dada Data celebrated a century since the birth of Abstraction and paid tribute to many artists who contributed to the progression towards what art is today. Yellow on Yellow 64: Kelly references American Colour Field painter Ellsworth Kelly who in that year had contributed 64 years of art making. Battson referenced his colour theory with 64 yellow stripes on a yellow background.

Cité Experience

My time at Cité Internationale des Arts was life changing; I had the incredible break to be granted the opportunity twice, once by the University of Pretoria in 2013, and again by winning first place at the Absa L’Atelier competition in 2014, so I got to return in 2015 for six months. I met lifelong friends and artists from across the globe. I loved living in the heart of Paris in the beautiful Le Maris with unlimited access to art museums and local travel to explore other inspirational regions. Every day was a dream, walking in the footsteps of old masters like Picasso, Monet, Yves Kline, Matisse, Van Gogh and Cézanne. I will be forever grateful and source inspiration from this incredible experience a decade later.