Marna Hattingh
Artist Biography
(b. 1977 Bloemfontein, South Africa)
South African artist, Marna Hattingh’s travels between a hybrid of fine art, literature and the complexities or contemporary life. She interrogates and articulates its collective emotions and has developed a highly unique and sought-after style, strongly influenced by an Asian sensibility and her experience as an illustrator, blending wry humour and social comment into playful palettes with a serious undertone. Drawing inspiration from an eclectic range including media, fashion, history, and fictional novels, her finely drawn characters jump, dance and spin across timeless, patterned backgrounds. Each painting is extensively worked and contains its own complex narrative.
Her distinctive graphic style is deeply layered and functions as a hyper-textual visual language, which allows the viewer to be rewarded with an awareness of the poetic and lyrical within his/her own wilderness.
Hattingh graduated from the University of Stellenbosch in 2000 with a BA Fine Arts degree, and a post-graduate Honours degree in Illustration. Her work is held in collections across South Africa and England.
Education
1999, BAFA University of Stellenbosch
2001 BA Hons. Illustration, Cum Laude
Exhibitions
2016 Art Central, Hong Kong
Africa Now, WorldArt, Cape Town, South Africa
2015 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Australia
Picture & Paper, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town
Cape Town Art Fair, South Africa
Memories in Motion, M. Contemporary, Sydney
Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town
2014 The Trouble With Memory Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town
Colour Collaborations V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Flair Magazine/Jil Sander Installation, Milan, Italy,
Launch Exhibition Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town
Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong,
2013 Crossing the Divide Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town
Cape Town Art Fair Cape Town
Joburg Art Fair Johannesburg
Exchange, Queen Street Gallery, Sydney,
2010 Each Their Own Wilderness M Contemporary, Australia
Group Exhibition, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town
2008 Verf. Blank Projects, Cape Town
2007 Paper and me. Association of Visual Arts. Cape Town
Roem. Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. Oudtshoorn
2007 Room-travel: particularly recommended for those afraid of high cliffs, robberies and tropical diseases. With Jeanne Hoffman. WhatiftheWorld. Cape Town (Two person show)
2006 The Collage Show. WhatiftheWorld
Choice assortment. WhatiftheWorld
Illustration Nation. WhatiftheWorld. Cape Town
AVA Committees Choice. Association of Visual Arts, Cape Town
2005 Paper never lies Group exhibition of the College of Cape Town Art Department staff. VEO Gallery
2002 Fantastic Rubbish. World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg
Koester. Rust-en-Vrede Gallery. Cape Town
Clean Up. Site Specific installation at the Cape Town Naval Base
2001 Exhibition of work by Honours Students, University of Stellenbosch Gallery
2000 Emergency. Work by Young Cape Town Artists. Brendon-Bell Roberts Gallery, Cape Town
1999 New Signatures. Belville Art Centre
Solo Exhibitions
2010 Group Exhibition, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town
2008 Verf. Blank Projects, Cape Town
2007 Paper and me. Association of Visual Arts. Cape Town
Roem. Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. Oudtshoorn
Room-travel: particularly recommended for those afraid of high cliffs, robberies and tropical diseases. With Jeanne Hoffman. WhatiftheWorld. Cape Town 2007
Group Exhibitions
2006 The Collage Show. WhatiftheWorld
Choice assortment. WhatiftheWorld
Illustration Nation. WhatiftheWorld. Cape Town
2005 AVA Committees Choice. Association of Visual Arts, Cape Town
Paper never lies Group exhibition of the College of Cape Town Art Department staff. VEO Gallery
2002 Fantastic Rubbish. World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg
Clean Up. Site Specific installation at the Cape Town Naval Base
2001 Exhibition of work by Honours Students, University of Stellenbosch Gallery
2000 Emergency. Work by Young Cape Town Artists. Brendon-Bell Roberts Gallery, Cape Town
1999 New Signatures. Belville Art Centre
Publications
2013 Each Their Own Wilderness Exhibition Catalogue, .M Contemporary, Sydney, Australia
Awards
2012 Merit Award Winner Vuleka Art Competition
1999 New Signatures. Bellville Art Centre. Award for sculpture
Residencies and workshops
(September 2007) Insaka International Artists Workshop. Siavonga. Zambia
(November 2007) Frans Masereel Centre Printmaking Residency, Kasterlee, Belgium
Collections
First Rand Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa
Hollard, Johannesburg, South Africa
Spier, Cape Town, South Africa
Nandos, United Kingdom