Riel dancing is found through out the Karoo. It is thought to be the oldest form of dance in South Africa and originated from the San people. Combine this with an artist who inclines towards the mystic and the result is the quite extraordinary installation in the veld, called “We are Dancers”.
“We Are Dancers” – is a magical sculpture work by Marcella de Boom and it is hidden away on a farm outside the tiny dorpie of Loxton. (which also has, of all things, a mock Bavarian castle!)
Marcella de Boom (1945-2009) was a South African artist who preferred media was acrylic and watercolour. She graduated with a BA Fine Arts from the University of Pretoria. Her works have been exhibited in South Africa, Namibia, Germany and Canada. She spent her time in Cullinan, where she lived in a cobhouse-cum-art gallery that she built and that took a year to finish.
” I usually explore a poetic or mythological theme.” In her work, she tried to tie the mythological-poetic with reality. The narrative of a painting is as important to her as the visual. She saw every painting as a search for the truth as well as a creation of beauty. Adapted from Art Co.Za
