Elmarie van Straten

Elmarie van Straten (b. 1983) is a visual artist based in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She earned an Honours degree in Fine Arts in 2004 from the University of Stellenbosch. Her art revolves around the theme of escapism, inviting viewers into dreamlike landscapes with surreal elements inspired by a fusion of nature, technology, and the human psyche. Although her preferred medium is oil painting, she works with pastels, spray paint, and neon lights.

Van Straten has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions. Notably, she won the Absa l’Atelier Art Competition in 2012, earning a six-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France, in 2013. Her first solo exhibition, "For Keep’s Sake," was held in 2014, followed by "From Crane Flies to Cameos" in 2016. More recently, her work was featured in group exhibitions at Absa Gallery in Johannesburg and "Small Objects" in New York, USA. She is a member of the Free State Art Collective and currently lectures in printmaking, drawing, and Visual Culture Studies at the Central University of Technology, Free State.