Kevin Lawrie and Lisa Ledwick

Kevin Lawrie: Statiese Spasie

Kevin Lawrie is a full-time in-house designer, who – when time permits – creates his own original projects such as Statiese Spasie (Static Space). Melding photography and digital vector illustration effortlessly, Kevin makes composites which feature geometric shapes that one would not ordinarily see with certain subjects. In Statiese Spasie, Kevin explains that the series is a commentary on how domestic animals seem to float within their individually defined, static spaces. He says ‘I wanted to explore the thought that if animals had the will, they may want to break free from these set environments they have so eagerly been cast in. That they can be quite majestic once one ignores the environment that makes them domestic.’ And where does he get inspiration for such works? Kevin says he is mainly influenced by South African culture – ‘I too often see local designers and artists trying to emulate European styles and trends. I think it’s a waste of time considering that we have so much local inspiration that surrounds us on a daily basis’.

Lisa Ledwick: Soliloquy

As part of her Masters exhibition in February this year, Lisa Ledwick, printmaker and illustrator by trade, contextualized and presented a fairy tale heroine who recuperates and revalues traditional aspects of femininity within a feminist context. Her series, Soliloquy, uses predominantly graphite and pencil, although there are some images that use colour pencil, gouache and ink. How does Lisa go about making her work? She explains, ‘To start my images, I use objects around the house, build sets from scratch or take reference material with my camera. I then collage the various images via photography on a digital photographic programme and then draw from that.’ For Soliloquy, Lisa explains that fairytales exist within the current traditional Western fairytale canon and imbue patriarchal ideology that idealise gender stereotypes. ‘These stereotypes (hero as powerful and heroine as weak) have become a cultural norm, and repetitive exposure may negatively influence a person’s sense of abilities. I challenge the discourse by using familiar fairytales as an archetype from which to superimpose an ulterior narrative.’ Soliloquy’s narrative takes place within Sleeping Beauty’s dreams and consists of a journey that she embarks on. The result is astounding and eerie. In her series, one can see Lisa takes inspiration from the art-making process itself, drawing from the ordinary and exploring it through her magical realist style.

If you’d like to see more of Kevin and Lisa’s work, visit their profiles on the onesmallseed.net community.

Words Gosia Podgórska