Notes

Hentie van der Merwe, born in Windhoek, Namibia, in 1972, lives and works in Darling, Western Cape. He studied fine arts at the University of the Witwatersrand before attending the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp (2000-2002). In 2001, he received a scholarship to the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in the USA. Van der Merwe has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both locally and internationally. Notably, he won the prize for best visual artist at the BIG Torino 2002 International Biennale of Young Art and the Sasol Wax Art Award in 2008.

His recent series, “After De Jongh,” reflects his lifelong exploration of landscape, influenced by his upbringing in the mountains of Namibia. Through his reinterpretation of Tinus de Jongh's iconic landscapes, van der Merwe confronts themes of land ownership, heritage, and emotional ties to the landscape, using oil paint to evoke and communicate these complex narratives.