Wessel van Huyssteen in this powerful body of work brings together an exploration into landscape, materiality, and the marks of power left on our environment. Through intricate stitchings and paintings, Wessel invites us to reflect on how politics, capital, technology and craft shape both identity and ecology.
He transforms viscose, nylon, and rayon into complex, hand-stitched terrains. Each piece reveals the marks of power — from industrial farming to global capitalism — embedded in the landscapes we inhabit. These large layered stitchings — cut, sewn, re-sewn, and guided by the artist’s hand — create vivid, disrupted Geographies. The textiles combine repetitive machine rhythms, unpredictable fabric behaviours, and labour-intensive craft to form landscapes that echo politics, identity and environmental strain.
van Huyssteen’s work encourages viewers to consider the visual, conceptual and sensory qualities of his practice – from the imagined rhythm of the sewing machine to the layered surfaces and quiet persistence of craft. It is a powerful encounter between material and meaning that unfolds through attention and contemplation.
Also, part of this exhibition are some oil paintings inspired by Eastern Free State fauna and flora. They act as a counterpoint to the monumental stitchings.
This show runs from 14th of March - 11th of April 2026.
×
Gallery 2 Presents Murmurations
Wessel van Huyssteen in this powerful body of work brings together an exploration into landscape, materiality, and the marks of power left on our environment. Through intricate stitchings and paintings, Wessel invites us to reflect on how politics, capital, technology and craft shape both identity and ecology.
He transforms viscose, nylon, and rayon into complex, hand-stitched terrains. Each piece reveals the marks of power — from industrial farming to global capitalism — embedded in the landscapes we inhabit. These large layered stitchings — cut, sewn, re-sewn, and guided by the artist’s hand — create vivid, disrupted Geographies. The textiles combine repetitive machine rhythms, unpredictable fabric behaviours, and labour-intensive craft to form landscapes that echo politics, identity and environmental strain.
van Huyssteen’s work encourages viewers to consider the visual, conceptual and sensory qualities of his practice – from the imagined rhythm of the sewing machine to the layered surfaces and quiet persistence of craft. It is a powerful encounter between material and meaning that unfolds through attention and contemplation.
Also, part of this exhibition are some oil paintings inspired by Eastern Free State fauna and flora. They act as a counterpoint to the monumental stitchings.
This show runs from 14th of March - 11th of April 2026.
