ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Jessica Michelle Le Roux (b 1989) is a South African sculptor and interdisciplinary artist. She obtained her BA at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2010, majoring in sculpture and printed image. Her disciplines feed off of one another as Jess frequently crafts a relation between planes and the facets within the environments she creates.
Her work queries preconceived world views and highlights the consequence of the butterfly effect. In doing so, Jess seeks to bring awareness to our generational perspectives, thought patterns, and our collective impact in the world. Iconic of the artist's work is her use of negative space, how the beings depicted are grounded, and her vibrant use of textures and colours across disciplines.
Jess's work resides in corporate and private collections, both locally and internationally. In February 2020, Jess was delighted to showcase with AVA Gallery at Investec Cape Town Art Fair. In addition, the artist's work has featured in Sasol New Signatures, Thami Mnyele, and Absa L'Ateliers Art Awards finalist selections. Currently, Jess is working towards a body of work in bronze titled the Senses, and an international collaborative project, Revolve:R, which will result in a publication. Aside from her art practice, Jess is actively involved in projects and arts initiatives.
Born 25 February 1989
Raised in Limpopo and Cape Town, South Africa.
Currently resides in Heidelberg, Gauteng, South Africa.
TERTIARY EDUCATION
2010 BA Fine and Applied Arts
Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, SA.
Faculties: Ceramics / Two-Dimensional studies
Major in Sculpture and Printed Image
2006 National N3 Certificate, Business Studies and Office Management,
Umalusi FET College, Nylstroom, SA.
AWARDS / PROGRAMS
2021
Meta Foundation Professional Practice Artist literature workshop, hosted digitally, based in SA.
2020
Ubiciko Artist Professional Development Programme in association
with Pareto Limited and the Arts & Culture Trust, South Africa.
AAI / ZERO1 Alumni Awarded team for sustainability project - where Art, Science & Tech meet.
2019
Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards Finalist in top 100 selection, Ekurhuleni, SA.
AAI / American Art Incubator
Selected Participant to aid Arts Social Projects utilising AR for community upliftment,
headed by Ram Devineni. In association with the KZNSA Gallery, ZERO1, U.S. Consulate Durban, the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
2018
RMB Talent Unlocked in partnership with Assemblage and Rand Merchant
Bank. Six-month Mentorship and Professional Practice Program, lead
mentor Lawrence Lemaoana
2017
SASOL New Signatures Finalist in top 100 Selection.
2013
ABSA L'Atelier, Finalist in top 100 Selection, Absa Towers, Johannesburg, SA.
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
ABSA Group Limited / Hogan Lovells (South Africa) Inc. / Into Africa Film Productions
EXHIBITION RECORD
2022 Forthcoming / African Philosophers Fundraising Art Auction,
coordinated by Space Mecca Studios, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2021 When Life throws you Lemons collaboration, Origin Art, Johannesburg, SA.
2021 Look Me in the Eye, RK Contemporary, van Riebeeck Kasteel, Cape Town,
Cape, SA.
2020 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Association of Visual Arts featured artist,
Cape Town, Cape, SA.
2020 The Home(lands) Series, AVA Gallery running parallel with the
Nando's Creative Exchange Program during 2019 / 2020, Cape Town, SA
2019 Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards Finalist, Coen Scholtz Recreation
Centre, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, SA
2019 Group Exhibition, The Viewing Room, St Lorient, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2019 South African Annual Print Art Fair, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2019 American Arts Incubator Exhibition, KZNSA Gallery, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, SA.
2019 Association of Arts Members Exhibition, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2018 RMB Talent Unlocked, Turbine Art Fair, Turbine Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2018 Pretoria Art Museum Group Exhibition, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2018 Allen & Overy War Child charity auction participating artist,
Berman Contemporary, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2017 South African Print Fair, GIBS, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2017 Sasol New Signatures Finalists Exhibition, Pretoria Art Museum,
Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2013 Golder Associates International Orphans fund Art Auction, Midrand, Gauteng, SA.
2013 Alice Touring Exhibition, curated by Gordon Froud, Toured SA provinces.
2013 Collaboration Exhibition, Meet me at the White Door, Clarens, Free State, SA.
2013 Collaboration Exhibition, 4D Gallery, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2012 Collaboration Show, Crimson Studios, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2012 Limited Edition Prints Group Exhibition, Trent Gallery, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2011 South African International Trade Exhibition, E5 Creations,
Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2011 BFA Final Year Exhibition, Unisa, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2010 Politics, Group Exhibition, HAPP Gallery, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2009 Local Artist Collaboration, ArtWise, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
2009 Selected undergraduate Bachelor Student Collaboration Show,
Pretoria Art Museum, Tshwane, Gauteng, SA.
PROJECTS
2020 TRAILS AAI Sustainability Project, KZNSA Gallery, funded by ZERO1 and the
American Arts Incubator, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, SA.
2019 American Arts Incubator in South Africa community upliftment program
contributing artist, collaboration between ZERO1, the US Consulate Durban
& KZNSA Gallery, facilitated by Ram Devenini, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, SA.
2018 Commissioned Artist, Hogan Lovell's Corporate Collection
2018 Collaborating Artist, Workshop linking Youth to the Arts,
St Vincent School for the Deaf, Johannesburg, SA.
2012 Artist commissioned for ABSA head offices project, Soft Touch Art
Advisory, Johannesburg, SA.
2011 Concept Development and Sketch Artist for the mobile library imagery for the
State Department of Education, Impact Designs, Pretoria, SA.
2011 Sketch Artist on set for BBC Film Productions for the documentary
of the life story of Leonardo da Vinci, Into Africa Film Productions,
Johannesburg, SA.
2011 Sketch Artist, A & DI Creative Company, Pretoria, SA.
PUBLICATIONS
Forthcoming - Revolve:R edition 4
Initiated in 2011 by Sam Treadaway and Ricarda Vidal
Revolve:R publications explores a transmission of ideas through collaborative forms of communication, from the physical and tactile to the digital and intangible, and includes visual art, poetry, film, soundscapes and music. The complete works of each Revolve:R edition is published as a limited-edition bookwork, most recently Revolve:R, edition three (Arrow Bookworks & Intellect Books Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA, 2018).
Revolve:R editions feature in public collections worldwide, including:
Tate Artist Book Collection, Tate Britain, London, UK / MoMA Artist Book Collection, New York City, New York, USA / Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK / Goldsmiths, London, UK / The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA / California Institute of the Arts, San Francisco, California, USA / The British Library, London, UK / Choisi Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland, CH / and within various other collections both public and private.
PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS
KZNSA Gallery 2020, KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts [accessed 16 September 2020]
<https://www.kznsagallery.co.za/Exhibitions/View/981/trails>
AVA Gallery 2020, Association for Visual Arts [accessed 13 December 2019]
<https://www.ava.co.za/exhibitions/jessicamichelleleroux>
FAP 2017, South African Print Art Fair [accessed 10 June 2017]
<https://safineartprintfair.com/2017-exhibitors.html>
Sasol New Signatures 2017, Sasol Chemicals Company [accessed 10 December 2017]
<https://www.sasolsignatures.co.za/sites/sasol_signature_live/files/SNS%20catalogue%202017%20v10_DIGITAL_LOW%20RES_0.pdf>
Zola Phoswa 2019, Rising Sun Overport [accessed 20 May 2019]
<https://risingsunoverport.co.za/73205/american-arts-incubator-inspires-artists>
Artsmart 2020, Artsmart publications [accessed 14 September 2020]
<http://news.artsmart.co.za/2020/09/new-exhibitions-at-kznsa.html>
Lidija Kostic Katchatourian 2020, Art and About Africa Organisation
[accessed 20 March 2020]
<https://en.calameo.com/read/006369302c65200cf7869>
ARTIST STATEMENT
Jessica Michelle Le Roux is a South African sculptor and interdisciplinary artist whose practice queries preconceived worldviews, highlighting the butterfly effects consequences. In doing so, the artist seeks to bring awareness towards generational perspectives, set thought patterns, and the individuals role within our collective impact in society and on the earth in light of harmony and preservation. Le Roux often creates two-dimensional backdrops for three-dimensional works which cross-pollinate and ricochet engagement intentions.
The artist holds an enduring fascination with the definition of a matrix. The secondary pictures in her layered works often show how we would form if the details of the primary image would reform with greater coherence. Le Roux believes the interest is influenced by her South African post-apartheid upbringing and in being a part of the generation crossing over from books to countless digital knowledge bases. The artist describes her work as exploring the journey of knowledge and understanding through experiences by depicting scopes of realities, impressions and interactions through observations in the quiet, thoughtful spaces of the mind. Many of the artist's depictions deal with impressionistic representations of the archetypes of human emotion and existence. In addition, Le Roux's work seeks to reflect and engage with the formulations and shaping of worldviews by considering socio-political landscapes, geographics, past and present influences.
Iconic of Le Roux's work is negative space, impressionistic expressions of emotion and the artist's interdisciplinary approach. One frequently finds depictions of distorted atmospheric sceneries created to invoke our connection and reveal our footprints in the natural world. Text often acts as her entry point. The artist crafts a relation with text in her practice by embedding text within art, creating text as a virtual layer or creating a window in the titles of artworks.
