Cape Town-based artist Kirsten Sims’ fourth solo exhibition, entitled By The Way, opened on Friday 17 August 2018 at Salon Ninety One.

Out of Office, 2018. Mixed media on board. 640 x 895 mm. Framed.

This latest body of work includes her signature lively compositions, atmospheric landscapes and playful portraits, as well as newly introduced, one-of-a-kind ceramics. Like her paintings, these ceramics have been gifted with witty titles, such as Banana Dog and Llama Drama.

Of the role of storytelling in her work, Kirsten shared this with VISI before her first solo exhibition in 2015: “Storytelling helps me, and I think the viewer too, to connect to a particular scene. Visually, they aren’t all ‘stories,’ but I think once I add a title there is more of a play between image and text, which definitely helps to create a narrative. I love setting a scene and seeing what will happen next.”

Read the rest of the interview here and watch Kirsten talk about her process here.

Follow Kirsten and Salon Ninety One on Instagram and catch By The Way, on until 15 September 2018, at Salon Ninety One, 91 Kloof Street, Cape Town.

The post New Kirsten Sims Exhibition: By The Way appeared first on Visi.

From an architectural beauty in Chile by Felipe Assadi and Annie Sloan brush sets to a new Kirsten Sims print and a floral installation, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 232.

1. Casa H by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos

“Designed by Felipe Assadi, Casa H is located in Zapallar, Chile,” says Editor-in-Chief Sumien Brink. “It’s a reinforced concrete building made up of beams layered together, creating a singular structure. I could move in tomorrow!”

Image credit: Fernando Alda via Archdaily.com

2. Detail Brush Set by Annie Sloan

“These detail brushes from Annie Sloan have been designed to give you complete control and help you achieve simplified mark-making while painting,” says Managing Editor Samantha Charles. “The collection will be released in mid-June and is made up of small and large round brushes and small and large flat brushes.”

Image credit: anniesloan.com

3. Kirsten Sims for 50ty/50ty

Popular Cape Town-based artist and illustrator Kirsten Sims recently released her first piece for 50ty/50ty prints, entitled Bear With Me,” says Online Editor Lindi Brownell Meiring. “Fans of her work will love this screen print, showcasing her distinct playful style. There are only six left from the limited-edition run of 50, so if you want to snap one up, don’t delay!”

Image credit: 50ty50typrints.com

4. OH OK and btny Plant/Tee Collab

“New Cape Town-based multi-disciplinary clothing brand OH OK and online nursery btny have collaborated to create two limited-edition T-shirts that you can purchase with a matching plant,” says Content Producer Mary Garner. “I think it’s a clever, fun idea.”

Image credit: Nick Gordon

5. Locus Amoenus Flower Installation

“This beautiful installation by ENTER Studio and OBR was spotted at international flower show Euroflora 2018 in Genoa, Italy,” says Features Editor Amelia Brown. “The interactive installation is made up of more than 1 000 pinwheels that surround a circular patio.”

Image credit: enterstudio.net

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 232 on picks of the week 51.

The post VISI Picks of the Week Series – Week 232 appeared first on Visi.

It’s that time of year again when the Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival launches its annual Art Board Project.

This year, artists Kirsten Sims, Liza Grobler, Brett Murray, Jenna Barbe, Marti Lund and Chris Auret, Beezy Bailey, Alexis Aronson, Jake Aikman, Lionel Smit and Andrzej Urbanski have collaborated with Wavescape to each create a one-off artwork on a surfboard.

The boards, which are currently being exhibited at Jack Black Brewery, will be auctioned off on 28 November to raise funds for NSRI, Shark Spotters, Waves For Change, Adaptive Surfing, The Beach Co-op and 9MilesProject.

The exhibition is open to the public from 9am until late at Jack Black Brewery. Doors open at 7pm on 28 November, with the auction starting at 8pm. Jack Black Brewery is located at 10 Brigid Road, Diep River, Cape Town.

For more information about bidding or about the Art Board Project, visit wavescapefestival.com.

The post Wavescape Festival: Art Board Project 2017 appeared first on Visi.

Kirsten’s playful signature figures are back alongside contemplative landscapes in this third solo exhibition.

The title of the exhibition refers to the time it takes the planet Saturn (29,5 years) to orbit the sun and return to the place in the sky that it occupied at the time of one’s birth. It marks an astrological period that occurs in a person’s late twenties as they move into full adulthood in their thirties; a period that Kirsten, who turns 30 this year, is experiencing herself.

Symbolically, it characterises a progression in Kirsten’s art and process. This time of transition and self-reflection is expressed in larger artworks and a confidence to test new techniques and colours.

Whether it’s natural landscapes barren of human activity or a lively composition brimming with quirky characters, whether the locations are familiar (Sea Point pool, for example) or imagined, Kirsten’s unique ability to capture a moment in time makes every piece feel personal and relatable.

Saturn Returns will be on exhibition at Salon Ninety One, 91 Kloof Street, Cape Town from 21 June to 27 July 2017.

The post Kirsten Sims’ Solo Show: Saturn Returns appeared first on Visi.

The increasingly popular Cape Town-based artist Kirsten Sims invited VISI to take a peek into her studio.

While she may be known for her distinctive painted characters, Kirsten is also the author and illustrator of a children’s book, which she chats about here.

Her latest work is on show at Salon Ninety One gallery in Cape Town, as part of the Oracle group show, until 21 January 2017.

For more information about the exhibition, visit salon91.co.za.

The post WATCH: In Studio With Kirsten Sims appeared first on Visi.

You need to be quick to get your hands on a piece by popular Cape Town artist Kirsten Sims.

Her whimsical work, which we’ve featured before here, flies off the walls at every exhibition opening, making the news that there will be an online exhibition, that much more exciting. With her collectors hailing from England, Australia, Europe, USA, Canada and Russia, it comes as no surprise.

Leap Year, Salon Ninety One’s first online exhibition, will open at 4pm on 19 October 2016.

Browse the gallery above for a sneak peek at nine of the available works.

For more information about how to participate in the exhibition, visit salon91.co.za, contact Salon Ninety One gallery at info@salon91.co.za or call 021 424 6930. You can register online at salon91art.com.

The post Sneak Peek: The Kirsten Sims Online Exhibition appeared first on Visi.

A new solo exhibition by Kirsten Sims, entitled You Are Here, is opening at Cape Town’s Salon Ninety One gallery on Kloof Street.

Her distinctive and emotive style often depicts vast, striking and moody landscapes or interesting and quirky scenarios.

Kirsten uses her art to tell a story, a theme in her work that has continued since her first Salon Ninety One solo exhibition in 2015. “This body of work is both an exploration of narrative on a larger format and an investigation of how abstract mark making can be combined with figurative story telling,” she explains.

She describes her subject matter as “people, parties, palms and pets…”

The exhibition opens on Wednesday 30 March 2016 from 6:30pm until 9pm and runs until 23 April 2016. Salon Ninety One is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am until 6pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 2pm.

For more information, visit salon91.co.za.

The post Solo Exhibition: Kirsten Sims appeared first on Visi.

Salon 91 in Cape Town is hosting Kirsten Sims’ first solo exhibition, The Middle Of Nowhere, until 18 July 2015. We chatted to this beloved local artist about her latest pieces, distinctive aesthetic and the importance she places on storytelling in her work.

What inspired your new body of work?

This body of work is inspired by the idea of the ‘middle of nowhere’ as a place and a feeling. When I started working on the concept for the show I had just finished my post-grad degree, left my job as an illustration teacher and moved from Stellenbosch to Cape Town. I really felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere, as an artist and as a 28-year-old. I wasn’t sure what would come next, so I decided to use that and create work born from that feeling of vulnerability. I wanted to explore what the middle of nowhere looks and feels like in my work.

Storytelling plays an important part in your pieces. What do love most about this creative process?

Storytelling helps me, and I think the viewer too, to connect to a particular scene. Visually, they aren’t all ‘stories,’ but I think once I add a title there is more of a play between image and text, which definitely helps to create a narrative. I love setting a scene and seeing what will happen next.

Illustrating or painting? And why?

Both. Painting was my medium of choice for this particular show, but I am still an illustrator. I am illustrating ‘texts’ both real and imagined – and I think the fact that my titles are important to me means I still really enjoy the push and pull between image and text.

Describe your aesthetic in a tweet.

The combination of the seemingly ordinary with a curious twist to reveal the whimsy of everyday life.

Tell us a bit about Split Second Stories. Why did you decide to create a zine?

I was experimenting with charcoal and the idea of Split Second Stories for quite a while before I decided to turn it into a zine. I started to play around with the idea of making an image – scanning it in and then changing one detail in the image in order to create a narrative.

Zines are a great way of quickly presenting a body of work without getting too precious about printing/paper stock/publishing.

Other than your current solo exhibition at Salon 91, do you have any exciting projects coming up?

Yes! I have finished my first children’s book called Henry Goes Home about a polar bear who runs away from the circus. It will be published in Portugal at the beginning of 2016.

To keep up to date with what Kirsten is up to, visit kirstensims.blogspot.com.

The post Artists We Love: Kirsten Sims appeared first on Visi.