About
Sandy Bekker is a contemporary South African fine artist, curator, illustrator and teacher who has recently returned from living and working in China and Thailand for 5 years.
Sandy Bekker’s paintings are inspired by her experiences with the natural elements in nature - the undulating force of our ocean and river water; the grandeur of earth's mountain peaks, the secret forest nooks and the tactility of sand; our emotively dynamic skies; the deadly life force of fire. She is an adventurous, mindful spirit who gathers material and ideas while exploring new places and cultures as well as revisiting old favourites from her past. She aims to express the beauty and awe of those moments, as well as her meditations on the philosophies of the diverse people she meets in those places.
Having lived in several very different places, I’m also interested in humanity’s varying relationships of sustainability with nature. Most people I’ve met are aware of climate change and our need for sustainability, but nations and individuals respond differently according to their context. 6th Century philosopher, Lao Tzu stated, “A good traveler leaves no tracks,” and recently, I’ve started referencing my own perspectives on this in my art-making, by incorporating some of my melted waste (bubblewrap, water bottles, expired cards etc.). It’s important to me that my work is meaningful. I like to draw the viewer close up to the work with aesthetic beauty and then allow them to discover that it is cheap, disposable plastic waste in front of them. How will they respond to this contradiction?
Over the years, Sandy Bekker has exhibited her work in numerous South African galleries and taken part in the Nederburg Knysna Arts Festival. Most recently, 11 May to 11 June 2024, she had a duo exhibition “Not only Nature: Between Transformation and Coexistence” at the Aether Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand. This consisted of her works completed in Asia.
Sandy Bekker is proud to be the 4th generation of female artists in her family. Initially she studied fine art at The Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town under Erik Laubscher. In 2000, she achieved a BA Fine Art and Education at the University of Stellenbosch. While there, she was awarded the Maggie Laubscher Fine Art Scholarship for 3 consecutive years.
In addition to being a painter, Sandy Bekker has also successfully worked in commercial art, teaching and gallery curating. She has curated exhibitions in South Africa, London, China and Thailand. In 2017 she foresaw the potential of e-commerce and launched iAfricaGallery, an online sales platform promoting contemporary southern African artists.
Sandy Bekker raised her daughter on the Garden Route in the intimacy of a small coastal town - Knysna. When her daughter left home for university she grabbed the opportunity to travel more extensively, claiming what she refers to as ‘her gap years’. From 2019 to 2024, she’s been painting and teaching in Asia - first in China and then Thailand.
Art is often my therapy. Georges Braque once said, “Art is a wound turned into light”. It’s one of my coping mechanisms to stem the loneliness and loss I’ve felt - both in a small town and in foreign mega-cities. My painting style varies but my depiction of both an outer and an inner landscape remains constant.