This October, Art In The Yard (AITY) gallery Franschhoek is hosting a solo exhibition by Leila Fanner, their most prolific abstract and figurative artist whose creative inspiration is directly related to spiritual dreams and personal dream symbols. She uses the natural world as her subject and explores her relationship with the material realm from both a metaphysical and spiritual viewpoint.
Born to a South African artist and an African-American musician, Leila offers a unique perspective influenced by her highly intellectual and creative upbringing. Her skills developed in the quest for experimental learning, and her style evolved into the much sought-after whimsical reveries with quite serious undertones.
Her art training has been mostly informal. After her studies at the Johannesburg National School of Art, Ballet, Drama and Music, she trained both in graphic design and water-colour painting, holding her first exhibition in 1993 at the age of 23. Her work has appeared in British Vogue Gallery 2015, and she exhibits on an ongoing basis with Art in the Yard in Franschhoek.
Let’s take a soulful leap into the exuberant energy of Spring, you and I.
Life feels new again, full of promise and possibilities.
Through the medium of oil and oil pastel on wood, canvas and paper, I hope I can bring you a piece of this;
the flourishing natural world, alive, in and around us.
Sometimes Nature is vibrant,
sometimes it is mellow,
always it guides me to appreciate that my abundance
is directly related to my presence in every moment.
There is nothing like the act of creating something, to make one acutely aware
of the importance of being here, now.
I encourage everyone to make a point of creating something daily – just for the fun of it.
– Leila Fanner.
Gallery Information:
Winter Opening Times (May – October) Monday – Sunday, 9.30a. – 5.30pm
Curator: Gita Claassen
Phone: +27 (0) 21 876 4280
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Address: 38 Huguenot Road, Franschhoek
Website: www.artintheyard.co.za
Pictures: Supplied