Phendu Kuta | Sacred Elements: Nature in Art

Art reflects the soul of a place—its people, land, and spirit. Along the Garden Route, creativity is deeply interwoven with nature and heritage. Sacred Elements is a collection of works by artists from Plett, Knysna, Wilderness, and George, celebrating not just the beauty of the region, but the profound exchanges between humanity and the natural world. Rooted in the elements—earth, water, fire, air, and spirit—this collection speaks to the rhythms and wisdom of nature.

Renowned sculptor Richard John Forbes presents two rose quartz works, Levitate and Nocturne, created from Kalahari-harvested stone. This body of work, titled PRAXIS, was carved during a residency at NIROX. Forbes' work explores the raw tension between nature’s fragility and strength.

Zimbabwean sculptor and gallerist Michael Nyoni allows driftwood to guide his hand—each sculpture becomes an intuitive dialogue with nature’s own design. His work explores themes of balance, the higher Self, and passage—the silent space between thoughts, where stillness and insight emerge.

Fine artist and gallerist Ingrid Nuss offers lush, dreamlike paintings that reflect her whimsical yet deeply intentional way of moving through the world. Her works, including Open Heart, and The Jungle Growing in My Heart, explore the symbolism embedded in nature and invite viewers into an inner landscape shaped by curiosity, imagination, and healing.

Through photography and mixed media, Phendulwa explores underrepresented South African histories rooted in her Hlubi ancestry—one of the nation’s oldest tribes. Her work maps the migration of the Hlubi people across Southern Africa and reflects on the cultural duality of being a Xhosa-speaking Hlubi. Embedded in this narrative is a visual exploration of colour symbolism and spiritual geometry, connecting ancestral memory with contemporary identity.

Nikki Friedlen’s sustainable denim seascapes merge art and upcycling. By repurposing recycled denim, she draws attention to environmental responsibility, offering an artistic path toward conservation. Woven into her compositions are themes of freedom, spaciousness, instinct, and trust.

Robyn Garstman’s striking black-and-white photography captures the diverse landscapes and wildlife of the Eastern and Western Cape, offering a timeless and powerful visual narrative of South African nature.

Guy Thesen’s carved mermaids—painted in vibrant acrylic on wood—draw on folklore and oral histories from the Klein Karoo. His work explores the symbolism of the watermeid myth through local storytelling and its deeper meanings around belief, mystery, and the feminine archetype.

Sacred Elements invites viewers to pause and reflect on our place within the natural world. These works remind us that nature is not separate, but a mirror—offering not only inspiration, but healing and remembrance of our essence.

This show runs from 25th of April - 25th of October 2025.