private lessons

SelwynPekeur

Biography

Selwyn Pekeur lives and works in Paarl and is actively involved in promoting the visual arts in his community. A full-time artist since June 1998, Pekeur began his career in the teaching profession. In this capacity, he was appointed convenor of the schools art project and was involved in organising workshops and exhibitions for children's art and young artists. Selwyn us a founder member of E'Bezweni Art Group (E.A.G.) established in Paarl in October 1994. Solomon Siko, Kerwin Cupido, Dylan Denyssen and Alby Bailey are also members of the group.

A positive influence in the new South Africa, Selwyn chooses to explore humour as a force to bridge the cultural divide rather than redefine the fault lines that have separated the Cape communities in the past. Laughter heals. The viewer becomes a voyeur observing an intimate moment of family life on a sultry afternoon in a township home. Black is beautiful in this artist's vision. Selwyn's women are great, inflated fantasies, titillating and festooned in colourful frippery.

Selwyn loves to experiment with different materials, media and techniques. He has worked as a sculptor and print maker, and paints in oil and acrylic.

• Born 23rd November 1957.
• Matriculated at Paulus Joubert Senior Secondary, Paarl in 1978.
• Obtained a Primary Teacher's Diploma (P.T.D., majoring in Art) at Dower training College, Port Elizabeth in 1980. Worked with artists Amos Langdown and Peter Clarke.
• Started a teaching career in Paarl in 1981.
• Studied part-time for a B.A. (Fine Arts) Degree at Unisa in 1989 - not completed.
• Attended a sculpture workshop at the Daljosaphat Arts Foundation, Paarl, in 1990.
• Established the E'Bezweni Art Group in 1994.

Awards

• Won 3rd prize at Project Art Vision, University of the Western Cape, in 1993.

Group Exhibitions

• 1981 - Veld and Vlei Gallery, Paarl.
• 1982 - Drakenstein Library, with Vakaliza Art Group, Paarl.
• 1983 - Project Art Vision, University of the Western Cape, Bellville.
• 1985 - Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town.
• 1993 - South African Association of Arts, Unisa Student Exhibition, Cape Town.
• 1994 - with E'Bezweni Art Group (EAG), Paarl Paint and Gas Centre.
• 1995 
  • With EAG at House of Trees, Somerset West.
  • With EAG at Jane se Kunshuis, Paarl.
  • With EAG at Bien Donne Manor House.
  • With EAG at The Arts Gallery, Paarl.
• 1996
  • At the Alfred Mall Gallery, Cape Town.
  • At the Cape Gallery, Cape Town.
  • At Gallery Wintergarten, Hamburg, Germany.
• 1997
  • At the Hout Street Gallery, Paarl.
  • At Theodore Heuss Akademie, Gummersbach, Germany.
  • At Association of Visual Arts, Cape Town.
  • At Laan Rust Gallery, Paarl.
  • At the Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town.
  • At Bang Gallery, Cape Town.
  • At the Rose Korber Art Consultancy, Bay Hotel, Camps Bay.
• 1998
  • At HYPO-Bank, Filiale, Hamburg, Germany.
  • At A.R.T. Gallery, paarl.
  • At The Cape Gallery, Cape Town.
  • At the Rose Korber Art Consultancy, Bay Hotel, Camps Bay.
  • At AVA (Association for the Visual Arts), Cape Town.

Major Art Projects:

• Absolut Secret 3
  A fundraising project, featuring miniature works from various artists, hosted by AVA (Association for Visual Arts) in Cape Town.
  November 1998.
• Bloedlyn/Bloodline
  Kelin Karoo National Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn, RSA - Curator Lien Botha.
  25 - 31 March 1999.
• The Alembic Spirit - Brandy in The Cape
  A portfolio for the SA Brandy Foundation. Curator: Melvyn Minnaar.
  1999.
• Art Switch
  A cultural sharing initiative - South African/German Art Workshop. 
  Curator: Susanne Nadolny.
  Germany, May/June 1999.
• Absolut Secret 4
  Absolut Wildlife fundraising project. Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town.
  November 1999.
• Festival of Lights
  Designs for Christmas and Millenium street lights - Paarl Tourism Bureau.
  December, 1999.

Public and Corporate Collections

Museum of Contemporary African Art - Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, USA; University of the Western Cape; University of South Africa; Paarl Municipality; Santam Bank Art Collection, Cape Town; Sanlam Art Collection, Cape Town; Swiss RE (Health and Life), Cape Town.

Also work in private collection is South Africa, Germany, Australia, Scotland, United States of America, England, West Indies, and Switzerland.

Publications:

• Max - (German magazine) May 1997
• Fair Lady - June 1997
• Die Volksblad - March 1999
• Lübecher Nachrichten - May 1999
• Die Burger - March 1999
• The Cape Argus (Tonight) - November 1999