(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

Publications

Each Their Own Wilderness Exhibition Catalogue, .M Contemporary, Sydney, Australia 2013

Awards

Merit Award Winner Vuleka Art Competition 2012

New Signatures. Bellville Art Centre. Award for sculpture 1999

Residencies and workshops

Insaka International Artists Workshop. Siavonga. Zambia (September 2007)

Frans Masereel Centre Printmaking Residency, Kasterlee, Belgium (November 2007)

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Exhibitions:

• Art Central, Hong Kong, 2016

• Africa Now, WorldArt, Cape Town, South Africa 2016

• Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Australia, 2015

• Picture & Paper, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, 2015

• Cape Town Art Fair, South Africa, 2015

• Memories in Motion, M. Contemporary, Sydney, 2015

• Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town 2015

• The Trouble With Memory Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town 2014

• Colour Collaborations V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 2014

• Flair Magazine/Jil Sander Installation, Milan, Italy, 2014

• Launch Exhibition Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town 2014

• Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, 2014

• Crossing the Divide Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town 2013

• Cape Town Art Fair Cape Town 2013

• Joburg Art Fair Johannesburg 2013

• Exchange, Queen Street Gallery, Sydney, 2013

• Each Their Own Wilderness M Contemporary, Australia 2013 (Solo show)

• Wonder Works The Space, Hong Kong 2013

• Stellenbosch Revisited. Woordfees. Sasol Art Museum, Stellenbosch 2013

• Tjorts/Cheers, Association of Visual Arts, Cape Town 2012

• Present History, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town 2011

Group Exhibitions

• Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town 2010

• Verf. Blank Projects, Cape Town 2008

• Paper and me. Association of Visual Arts. Cape Town 2007

• 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 2007 (Two person show)

• The Collage Show. WhatiftheWorld 2006

• Choice assortment. WhatiftheWorld 2006

• Illustration Nation. WhatiftheWorld. Cape Town 2006

• 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 2005

• Fantastic Rubbish. World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002

• Koester. Rust-en-Vrede Gallery. Cape Town 2002

• Clean Up. Site Specific installation at the Cape Town Naval Base 2002

• Exhibition of work by Honours Students, University of Stellenbosch Gallery 2001

• Emergency. Work by Young Cape Town Artists. Brendon-Bell Roberts Gallery, Cape Town 2000

• New Signatures. Belville Art Centre 1999

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Collections

• First Rand Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa

• Hollard, Johannesburg, South Africa

• Spier, Cape Town, South Africa

• Nandos, United Kingdom