Nel Gallery | 'The Mirror in You and Me'

A defining element in John-Michael Metelerkamps’ practice is his lack of complacency. Having started long after finishing school in Knysna, and only recently relocating to Cape Town, Metelerkamp has been steadily catching the attention of many painters, gallerists, and art writers for several years now. Though he is considered a ‘painter's painter', Metelerkamp is much admired for his refusal to be neatly boxed and placed within the art biosphere, daring to paint in several styles with each creation. He consistently challenges his audience, imploring them to reconcile his current work with work from another time in his oeuvre. As an artist who is equally comfortable painting landscapes as he is creating portraits and abstractions, his ability to navigate oneself through his craft indicates a sincere, commendable effort to always keep challenging himself.

His is a practice that is always curious, with his latest exhibition showcasing his ability to translate what he sees and feels into his own, distinct visual language. 'The Mirror in You and Me' is a subjective exploration of the world, namely the context that he finds himself embedded in and the people he encounters, either as archetypes or as they are surmised. It is at times observational and, at other times, simply imagined constructions. There is a freedom and honest curiosity in this series of portraits that invites us to look closer and sense the person being portrayed or inferred.