Hold Fast by Adele van Heerden

WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES via adelevanheerden.com

Hold Fast is a new collection of paintings created during lockdown by Cape Town-based artist Adele van Heerden.

“As I had to go straight into self-quarantine on my arrival from France, I haven’t had a chance to see any of my friends or family in person since December 2019,” she explains. “So, in a way, this project has been both a good way of peeking into the lives of others under conditions of social distancing, and connecting with each other.”

Adele put out a call on social media for images from the lives of friends and acquaintances under lockdown. The project focuses on the spaces we inhabit and how our day-to-day workings and lives have changed. “For most, the outside has become just a picture framed by a window,” she continues.

The subjects of the ink-and-gouache paintings range from the cluttered contents of a fridge and lazing pets to busy tables and lived-in kitchens.

Adele is donating 50% of the sales from these works to Food Flow ZA, an initiative providing fresh food to communities while supporting small-scale local farmers.

For more information, visit adelevanheerden.com or follow Adele on Instagram.