Artists We Love: Juanita Oosthuizen

WORDS Michaela Stehr PHOTOS Paris Brummer  

This Cape Town-based artist makes detailed miniatures in mounted settings.

“Years ago at the Tate Modern in London I came across a tiny painting in a huge hall with a little silhouette as the subject. It made such an impression on me, I think it triggered my passion for this style,” says artist Juanita Oosthuizen.

It inspired her to come up with creative ways to incorporate figurines into pieces of art. Juanita works mainly in shades of grey, black and white, with a few works featuring a pop of red. As a fan of minimalism, her work often features small people made in a silicone mould and placed in a carefully planned scenario fashioned from board and paper. This is mounted in a box frame to create a 3D environment.

“I began working with paper because it’s versatile. You can sculpt, form and weave with it. There are many possibilities for application and texture,” she says.

Her work varies from playful to serious and emotional, with the subject matter telling a story through the body language or interaction of her figurines.

Because of the delicateness and scale of her materials, Juanita works with an OptiVISOR magnifying headpiece. “Just applying glue to the little figures is a challenge; you need to get the application absolutely perfect and there is no room for mistakes,” she says. “Creating depth in a 2 cm space is also quite tricky, so I like to use different boards and mounts to give perspective.”

Juanita was recently the joint winner of the Tollman Bouchard Finlayson Art Award for a piece titled Always on my Mind.

Visit her studio at 71 Roeland Street, Cape Town to see more of her work.