North Gallery

Ronald Palmer Conference of the birds

25 April to 16 May 2026

Opening on Saturday 25 April 2026 at 11:00 at the Association of Arts Pretoria is Ronald Palmer’s exhibition Conference of the Birds.

Birds have long symbolised spiritual ascent in human culture, as seen in representations like the eagle, angels and the phoenix.  Farid ud-Din Attar’s 12th-century Sufi masterpiece of the same title The Conference of the Birds powerfully explores the quest to transcend earthly existence and seek the divine.  This exhibition examines the central theme of the poem’s journey.

Palmer states: “Some of the birds are established characters in my work and each have their own meaning and significance.  This together with the composite man aims to entice the viewer to a deeper looking and contemplation of self.”

The Simurgh is a benevolent bird from Persian mythology.  A few lines from the poem read:

‘There in the Simurgh’s radiant face they saw themselves, the Simurgh of the world.
With awe they gazed and dared at last to comprehend.
They were the Simurgh and the journey’s end.’

The artist is a mirror in which viewers reflect themselves.