Galerie Chaton

Gerda Guldemond

Draai jou hart na die son (Turn your heart to the sun)
23 March to 13 April 2024

Artist Gerda Guldemond, neé Scholtemeijer, decided to challenge herself with new mediums and colour.  Better known as a printmaker, she always made use of combinations of different techniques to capture nature’s intimate moments in black and white.  Now she is creating with embroidery thread, cyanotypes and monoprints.  Whereas in the past Gerda’s landscapes were dark and atmospheric metaphors, these latest works are more joyful and light.
 
Gerda was born in 1967 and matriculated at Hoërskool Verwoerdburg.  She graduated with a BA Fine Arts degree in 1989 from the University of Pretoria.  In 1994 she received an MA Fine Arts majoring in Printmaking from the erstwhile Potchefstroom University.  In 1994 Gerda moved to Naboomspruit where she worked as a librarian and organized local exhibitions as well as the Naboom Art Festival.  She also owned the Tandem Gallery.  In 1996, Gerda had the opportunity to exhibit in Belgium.  In September 2001 she joined the Pretoria Art Museum where she was the curator responsible for the collection of artworks on paper.  She curated numerous national and international exhibitions.  In February 2023 she decided to focus on her own art career.
 
A recurring theme in Gerda’s latest works are the birds she finds in her surroundings.  Birds have been used as powerful symbols in religion, myth, and folklore around the world for thousands of years representing both good and evil.  Many of the birds mentioned in the Bible represent the best in us of what’s noble and pointing us towards the best versions of ourselves.