Galerie Dominique Fiat
Vivian Van Blerk , South Africa
"Memento Mori"
Vivian Van Blerk, La Clairiere, Sculpture ceramique, 65×65×70 cm.
A tribute to the recently deceased South African-born artist Vivian Van Blerk (1971-2024, Paris). His work combines ceramic sculptures, installations and photographs. Vivian Van Blerk was assiduously preparing her next solo show at the gallery on the theme of Archipelagos, which combine Memento Mori and nature’s resilience in the face of human destruction.
They conceal unique inner worlds and question the environment in a post-human future dominated by the rebirth of nature.
“Trained as a photographer, I have, over the course of my research, created numerous models using a variety of materials such as wood, plaster, polystyrene, or clay.
My photographs were the only trace of this work, as my models—imposing yet ephemeral—were destroyed.
My photographic practice was analog and traditional. Later, to give a tangible presence to these representations, I turned to traditional techniques such as cyanotype, gum bichromate, or prints on old glass plates.
More recently, ceramics have allowed me to transform my models into fully realized works of art, no longer merely photographic supports.
This material, both solid, noble, and fragile, conveys the fragile beauty of existence. I thus explored the theme of Memento Mori through a series of human skulls, following the tradition of vanitas and still lifes. Each piece becomes the vessel for a unique universe, revealed or secretly hidden within the skulls, reflecting the imagination of each individual.
My latest ceramic works address our relationship with the world and the environments created by humans. They depict a post-human world, haunted by its ruins and remnants, the last echoes of our civilizations, while nature reclaims its place.
A tranquil, naturalistic resurrection, yet also a poignant warning about the future of our society.”
- Vivian Van Blerk
Solo show of Vivian Van Blerk
From May 22nd to June 5th, 2025
Rendez-Vous
Friday 23 May 2025 at 6:00 pm
Opening of Vivian Van Blerk’s Memento Mori exhibition – Galerie Dominique Fiat
75010 Paris, France 01 40 29 04 62 dominiquefiat.com
The gallery
The gallery is an authentic space for innovation, covering a wide variety of media - painting, sculpture, photography, video, architecture and fashion - open to international creations with an attraction to non-Western scenes, all guided by current concerns of poetic, sociological, historical and political nature.
Renowned for discovering young, emerging artists, the gallery contributes to the careers of influential international creators from specific horizons, from the Californian Light & Space movement to the various scenes in South Africa, North Africa and Asia, as well as the Caribbean and Guyanese scenes and related issues.
Gallery artists
Malala Andrialavidrazanana, Rut Blees Luxembourg, Hannah Collins, Roxane Daumas, Emo de Medeiros, Laddie John Dill, Anita Dube, Safâa Erruas, John Goto, Itvan Kebadian, Nicola lo Calzo, Chantal Regnault, Vivian Van Blerk, Sue Williamson
