Thanks to continued concerted efforts, Bergvliet High’s matric Picassos showcased their wunderkind works with their second Visual Arts Expo at Blue Route Mall from Wednesday 18 to Sunday 22 October, where locals, parents and learners had a chance to survey and enjoy their visual literacy and gifts.
“Bergvliet High School’s visual-art department is renowned for producing excellent artists, one of them being Derric van Rensburg, who is internationally known for his superb impressionist paintings and widely rated as one of South Africa’s top artists,” Blue Route’s Bronwyn Rabie told People’s Post.
In addition to the matric artworks, works crafted by Grade 10s and 11s were also on display. The expo’s aim was to provide the learners with the experience to help them step up their game in future years.
“Having one’s work showcased to the wider public will bring a greater expectation of the quality of work needed to be world class,” said principal, Patricia Demas.
“For our learners and the parents this, if nothing else, is the perfect opportunity for prospective parents to say ‘wow! If this is what kids at Bergvliet High School can produce then I’d want to send my child there.’ And it won’t be easy getting in as our head of arts, Saroj Shukla, is a tough cookie!
“She has very high standards, which is important, for we don’t do mediocrity. You’re going to have to put in the hours.”
Regarding her criteria for acceptance to study visual art under her, Shukla said all Grade 8s must submit a portfolio to gain admission. “If the portfolio is of a high standard, only then do we accept them to specialise in art. The basic skills, creativity and know-how to fill up a space creatively is very important. Some learners do art for art’s sake, but we want more than such a casual approach.”
Strutting his stuff, Damon Newton, one of Bergvliet’s matric artistes, said: “It’s nice to have our hard work put up, just to show people how we imagine things.”
He shared how inspiration for his art assignments are drawn from Pinterest, music, what he sees in his surroundings and things he was going through in this period of his life.
In her corner of the food court Bergvliet’s Zaara Francis was seen welcoming spectators. “It’s an honour, to be honest,” she said. “It feels nice to have people actually see my artwork, besides my teacher. And I like to hear the compliments – that’s always nice!”
Demas said their learners were once again invited to participate in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Irma Stern Museum to celebrate the artist’s work.
This expo provided the perfect setting and busy aisles full of feet to have matriculants on their way to the professional world to showcase their talent while gaining feedback from spectators. All this, while the school’s fellow art learners manned the Spur Shadow Shift at Blue Route Mall’s Spur to raise funds for the art department.
