Nikki Swanepoel

Nicolene Swanepoel hails from Bloemfontein in the Free State. She holds a cum laude Degree in Fine Arts from the Central University of Technology (for which she was awarded Best Student in 2006) and a Diploma in Fashion Design.

In 2007 she won the Fractal Young Artist Exhibition and was a finalist in the ABSA L’Atelier Competition. In 2001 she was a runner-up for Designer of the Year. The Bloemfontein Municipality has also commissioned her to produce work.

Swanepoel’s artistic endeavours include working as graphic designer, gallery manager and owner, freelance photographer and presenting workshops to young artists.

She has exhibited at various galleries in the Western Cape, Free State and Gauteng.

“My work deals the search for identity and also the loss of it because of a conditioned lifestyle that is rooted in all kinds of comfort zones. The media presents a conditioned lifestyle and the continued existence thereof, as to what success, love and happiness is. The artworks are a testimony thereof because it creates a feeling of bondage, and also its counterpart – the strife for freedom, because one often feels trapped in one’s daily routine and responsibilities. The work testifies against those who choose to be in unhappy relationships or circumstances just because it is comfortable. The work focuses not only on the artist’s own inner conflicts and the search for identity, but also on the society’s conditioned existence. Naked female figures are used to symbolize vulnerability and are not portrayed for the sake of erotica. The artworks are displayed as digital prints as well as photography on PVC material that adds to the issue of the media influencing our lives.”