​Contemporary South African Art

Kevin Roberts was born in 1965 in Rustenburg, South Africa. His serene, balanced and carefully constructed paintings and sculptures have received widespread acclaim. Winner of several awards with his distinctive style of rhythmic patterns and recurring symbols, he is one of South Africa’s most admired artists.

 

He lived and worked in Johannesburg, lecturing part-time on painting and ceramics around Pretoria. Kevin sadly passed away in 2009.

 

Artist´sStatement

"People are exposed to an incredible amount of visual information every day. What I intend to do with my painting is to re-awaken within the viewer the rewarding and pleasurable act of looking at a unique, rich and considered two-dimensional object.It is my hope that the paintings function on many levels, from the formal to the conceptual. The act of putting the painting together and the poetic marriage of this to the imagery are to me an act of being and learning, more than finding quick solutions or tricks to solve the visual problems often confronted in painting. For this reason I can only produce a few paintings a year, as they take as long as they take.Given that we are so saturated with visual information, one of the questions I always ask myself is if the universe really needs another image, to be absorbed. I balance this against my obsession to ´Be´ through making. The end result is hopefully an object that can be added to in terms of its meanings and taken in slowly and meditatively over a long time."Critical Acclaim‘Kevin Roberts affirms the visual, or let us call it the ‘beautiful,’ as the essence of his art…. His paintings explore beauty, craftsmanship, pattern and image as part of an integrated whole. In this he too becomes part of a tapestry of painting stretching from the traditional to the contemporary." Ingrid Stevens

 

Awards

1987 Schweickerdt Prize for most promising student1988 Innes Aab-Tamsen Prize - painting1994 One of the winners of the 1994 Volkskas Atelier1995 Third Prize at Kempton Park 951995 Winner of the 1995 Volkskas Atelier1996 Winner of the 1996 Kempton Park/Tembisa Fine Art Award 

 

Studies

1982 Matriculated at Grenville High School1988 National Diploma in Fine Arts - Technikon Pretoria1990 National Higher Diploma in Fine Arts - with DistinctionEmployment 1989 to 1992 Assistant in Department of History of Art, Technikon Pretoria1993 Part time lecturer (painting and ceramics), Technikon Pretoria1997 Part time lecturer (painting) Open Window Art Academy, Pretoria

 

 

Bibliography

"Pretoria News" - 6 Oct. 1993, 14 Sept. 1994, 13 Sept. 1995"BEeld" - 13 Oct. 1995"Vuka SA" - Nov. 1995"De Kat" - Dec. 1995"Vuka SA" - March 1996"Style" - March 1996

 

Group Exhibitions

1987/89/93/94/95 Volkskas Atelier1989 Rolles Impressions1988/89 New Signatures1993/94/95 Arts Alive1995 Pretoria at the Johannesburg BiennaleWe the People United for a Global Environment (Pretoria Art Museum)Mmabatho1995/96 Kempton Park / Tembisa Fine Art Award1996 South African Art in Egypt, Cairo1997 Executive Art, SA Association of Arts1999 artLONDON, June ’99 Fair, Chelsea2000 Summer 2000 - Group show Everard Read, Cape Town2004 Pretoria – A selection of Painters and Sculptures from the Nation’s Capital - Everard Read, Cape Town

 

Solo Exhibitions

1993 SA Association of Arts (N.Tvl)1996 Karen McKerron Gallery, Johannesburg1997 Karen McKerron Gallery, Johannesburg2001 One man exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg2004 One Man Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg

 

Public Collections

SASOLKlerksdorp Municipality CollectionDepartment of Foreign AffairsABSA Bank CollectionPretoria Art MuseumAnderson ConsultingTelkomConsol GlassPretoria TechnikonGauteng GovernmentSanlamUnisaKempton Park / Tembisa City CouncilPrivate CollectionsIngram AndersonTheresa LizamorePhilip BadenhorstAleta Michaletos

 

Projects

ABSA Bank project1996Consol Glass Calendar1995Telkom Christmas CardConsol Glass Christmas Card

 

Reference:  Everard Read