“I find artmaking as a personal journey sometimes within myself, sometimes outside of myself, at times a combination of both. Working in mixed media leaves me open to explore artmaking on any level possible.”
artist's quote



Wonder was born in Knysna in 1967. He started painting in 1995 and has studied under Jill Trappler. Subsequently he participated in several exhibitions, including Thupelo regional and international workshops and exhibitions (1998, 99, 2000, 2001, 2004); Absolut Secret shows at AVA (2001, 2002, 2003); a group show with the Association of South African Artists at Kirstenbosch in 2002; Peace One Day, an international project to promote peace worldwide at SANG and in the UK: ‘Identity’ in Amsterdam, and ‘Web’ at the Cold Room in Cape Town.

He held several solo exhibitions which include those at Café Camissa in 2000, Greatmore Studios in 2001 and AVA in 2003. His art is featured in publications such as ‘Fooding Around With Topsi’, HIV/AIDS Centre for the Book, and ‘Id 100 SA Artists in Amsterdam’.

His work is represented in the public collections of Spier, SA Breweries Limited, and Nando’s UK, as well as in private collections in Germany, the USA, Ireland, Canada and South Africa.

Wonder has also been involved in a variety of outreach projects in the community, at Valkenberg Mental Hospital, with the homeless at the Homestead, with the Catholic Church, with Parliament for Child Abuse Week (2002) and with a publication on HIV/AIDS at the Centre for the Book. He has attended two mixed media art courses given by Jill Trappler; a Justice and Reconciliation workshop at the Centre for the Book in 2002, and he has created an installation entitled L.T.D at the Museum of Temporary Art in Observatory in 2002.

CURRICULUM VITEA

Born in Knysna in 1967
Began painting career in 1995

EXHIBITIONS
Solo
Association for Visual Arts - ‘windows a series’- 2003
Don Pedro’s – 2003
Greatmore Studios – 2001
Café Camissa - 2000

Group Shows
Association South African Artists – Kirstenbosch – 2004, 2003, 2002
Greatmore Studios – extended Windows with Jessie Colman - 2003
Association for Visual Arts – Absolute Vodka – 2003, 2002, 2001
South African National Gallery Annex – Thupelo International – 2001
Salvation Exhibition – 2001
Malmesbury - Thupelo International - 2000
South African National Gallery Annex - Thupelo Regional – 1999, 1998

TRAINING
Jill Trappler – mixed media course – the more you look the more you see
Jill Trappler – mixed media course – A happy mistake 2002

OUTREACH PROJECTS
The Homestead – painting workshop - 2003
Peace One Day International – 2003
Justice and Reconcilliation – Centre for the book – 2003
Child Abuse Week – Parliament Cape Town 2002
Catholic Church – Cape Town 2000
Homeless project – teaching 2000
Mental Health project – Valkenberg 1999

PUBLICATIONS
Fooding around with Topsi – Eie Ruimte Publishing - 2003
HIV/AIDS – Centre for the book Cape Town - 2002

INSTALLATIONS
Limited Time – Association for Visual Arts - 2003
A Tangled Web – collaboration with Monika Dillier (Swiss)
The cold room, - 2002
L.T.D. – Museum of Temporary Art, Observatory 2002
I find art making as a personal journey sometimes within myself. Sometimes outside of myself, at times a combination of both, working in mix media leaves me open to explore on any level art-making possible.

WORK IN COLLECTIONS
The Spier Collection
Rose Korber
Art Consultancy SA
Nando’s UK
Work in private collections in Germany, USA, Ireland and Canada

Below is a excerpt from ID of South African artists produced by Initiative of Art & Theatre Amsterdam, April 2004

Wonder is a self-taught artist who works from the Greatmore Art studios in Cape Town. Wonder loves working with mixed media and the flexibility it offers by moving into any form of art making - installation, performance, painting ect. Wonder works most in paint though and he confesses that it continues to challenge him.

Wonder's paintings can range from being completely abstract to abstract-expressionist, and his paintings from 2003 have focused on various scenes in Cape Town. However if you are looking for familiar elements of Cape Town, you will be sorely disappointed, as what confronts you is splatters of colour and textured paint. Upon closer inspection, forms become barely recognisable before the scene emerges out of the confusion of paint on canvas. His work 'Woodstock' is a typical example of this type of painting. The work shows the scene from the roof of Greatmore Studios in an area called Woodstock. Although in reality, one can only see a small portion of the sea from the roof, Wonder combines both the topography that he can see with scenes from Cape Town that are stored in his head. He chooses how he wants to represent time, place and reality in this work. This creates scenes that are Wonder's Cape Town, rather than a photographic representation.