About Lisette – Lisette Forsyth

Philosophical Underpinnings of Lisette’s Current Artistic Identity

“I paint to fill the need to create. Constantly experimenting with media and subject matter. The compulsion to recycle pushes me towards mixed media. Cape Town and it’s people provide contradictions and contrasts to work from. Every day is an inspiration . The need to revel and reflect life’s beauty drives me to create. To share the delight in the seemingly ordinary.” – Lisette Forsyth

Lisette Forsyth is as passionate and dedicated to living a fulfilling and creative lifestyle as she is to her artistic process. As such, it should come as no surprise that her lived experience of being a women, mother, daughter, lover, artist, worker, model, photographer, graphic designer, surfer, and globe trotter serve largely as the inspiration for her creative outlet. Drawing inspiration on a daily basis through her deeply personal as well as public life she is able to bring to life the nuances of the human experience on her mixed media canvases. Harnessing the world around her in every aspect imaginable, she works primarily on recycled materials such as rusted steal, drift wood, historic newspapers and maps, as well as old books and construction plans, giving a second life to these once discarded and disregarded surfaces. But creativity does not stop there. Once a surface has been carefully selected from the rejected “waste materials” of our society, it may take days, weeks, months or even years for inspiration to strike. Taking lessons from her early education in graphic design and print making, Lisette understands the importance of paying homage to her canvases by marrying the correct surface with the correct subject matter. The result of such patience and imaginative couplings between surface and subject is both visually spectacular and deeply thought provoking. One speaks to the other, enriching the subjective value and meaning to be found in each and every piece by opening up a dialogue between surface and subject, between artist and art, observer and observed. In this way, Lisette aims to create works that speak not only to the intellectual art connoisseur, but to the ordinary man women and child; not only of the spectacular and sensational, but of the ordinary and often overlooked details of the endlessly inspiring world that naturally surrounds us all.

Lisette’s national as well as international recognition and success are a testament to her ruthless dedication and boundless imaginative capacity. Not only has she exhibited across Sothern Africa, but has managed to cross boarders as far reaching as galleries in New York, Portugal and Munich. This should serve as a reflection of her flexibility in culturally determined artistic style and taste. Her work is ever changing and adapting to the social, political and cultural climate of the time, and is perhaps the reason why she is able to not only reach, but touch such a vast audience.

Creative Philosophy

The art of my life

What people do has become the inspiration for my art. When I moved into a semi-industrial area of Cape Town, what the people were doing there to survive became the source of my art while their characters became my inspiration.

During the ongoing turmoil over a minimum wage, I came across a 1956 Work Ledger and I painted workers on pages from it. This resulted in a dialogue, between the people illustrated in the works and the authoritarian rules and procedures in the document.

The resultant and growing feelings of social responsibility also led me scavenge the material with which and on which these people worked and out of this came what I call transmutation.

I take the discarded materials of modern work and transmute their surfaces into artefacts with a powerful appeal to current artistic sensibilities. Scarred wood, rusted steel, battered metal and builder’s planks are all grist to my grinder, saw and paint brush. The story of each piece is transmutation, the outcome, I hope, is enchantment.

I believe that the dialogue I initiate in my work starts a chain reaction; between my thoughts and the subject matter, between the elements in the work – the images, the objects and the background – all integrated and reinforced by the strong binding shadows I invariably include. Crucial to it all is the satisfying dialogue between my art and the viewer, because I believe that our experience of a piece of art is enhanced by our understanding of the values it signifies.

As an artist one has to make things happen or be open to opportunities. it is a mystery where the ideas come from, I think it is divine. The platform comes with a sense of responsibility to affect positive change.
I am constantly experimenting with media and subject matter.
The compulsion to recycle pushes me towards mixed media.
Although I try stay clear of politics, the fact that I use historic paper and contrast what is written with contemporary life it can be seen as political. I prefer to call it social commentary.
Cape Town and it’s people provide contradictions and contrasts to work from.
Every day is an inspiration.
The need to revel and reflect life’s beauty drives me to create.
To share the delight in the seemingly ordinary.

Timeline

Lisette Bambine Forsyth

Born in Namibia when it was still South West Africa.
I attended Jan van Riebeek Primary school, which was burnt down during the struggle.I then switched to Camps Bay High School. This was like a holiday camp compared to the constraints of the Afrikaner system. At Camps Bay I was able to model part time from the age of 14.
I managed to matriculate just before calculators were permitted in maths in 1986.
Travelled and worked in Europe as a model from 1987 until 1989.
It was a huge hinderance to travel on a South African passport at this time.

Returned to South Africa and studied Graphic Design at the Cape Technikon.

Graduated in 1999 majoring in print making and photography. Only to find it all go digital the very next year!

Worked in Europe in 1992. Completed an apprenticeship in Mechanical Graphics at the Bayerische Rundfunk (German television station)

Returned to South Africa with my infant son Ike permanently in 1994. Worked as a wardrobe artist, model and commercial actress to keep the wolves at bay.

In 1998 While traveling Australia I managed to join the resident artist in the Caretaker’s Studio where we exhibited Cottesloe the People.

Returned to South Africa married and pregnant and my daughter was born in 1999.
When painting from home became impractical in 2002 I moved into a shared studio with Sanel Agenbag in Bree Str. Cape Town.

2004 I managed to step out and do a solo exhibition : ‘Exinhibitions Inexhibition’

During 2005 created Snug a homeware range

2007- moved into a Studio in Woodstock- StudioTonic

2009 Solo exhibition in studio: Publiccity

Group exhibition at Haas: Urban Lines

2010 Group exhibition at Studio Tonic: Naked Ambition

2011 Exhibition at HAAS: PIN HOLE

2012 Part of the art walk, Art week in Observatory and Woodstock, resulting in an ongoing relationship with the JEANETTA BLIGNAUT ART CONSULTANCY, Spier \Yellow woods

2013 An honest day’s work

2013 A short visit to Sri Lanka.

2014 Works donated for Ukuthemba Child foundation are auctioned by Graham Norton, resulting in sales to Mr Norton.

July 2014 Solo exhibition at State of the Art : ‘A reflection of us.’

Solo exhibition: ‘Who’s looking at who’ at Rust and Vrede Gallery

Group exhibition: ‘Ladies first’ Galerie von Braunbehrens Munich Germany

Group exhibition: ‘Music and Lyrics’ at Rust and Vrede

Solo exhibition at Studio Dylan Thomas: ‘Nothing in India

Lisette CV

I paint to fill the need to create. Constantly experimenting with media and subject matter. The compulsion to recycle pushes me towards mixed media. Cape Town and it’s people provide contradictions and contrasts to work from. Every day is an inspiration . The need to revel and reflect life’s beauty drives me to create. To share the delight in the seemingly ordinary.

Born in Namibia 1st August 1968 Windhoek Namibia ( formally S.W.A. ).
Returned to Cape Town before the high fluoride content in the water could have a significant effect on my permanent teeth.
Attended St Cyprian pre-school and Jan Van Riebeek Primary School.
Began working as a photographic model in 1983.
Matriculated from Camps Bay High School in 1986.
Traveled and worked in Europe as a model 1987-89.
Studied Graphic Design at The Cape Technikon from 1989-91.
Graduated with a Diploma, majoring in photography and printmaking.
Worked in Europe in 1992. Completed an apprenticeship in Mechanical Graphics at the Bayerische Rundfunk ( German television station)
Returned to South Africa with my infant son Ike permanently in 1994.
Worked as a wardrobe artist, model and commercial actress(1993-2003)
In 1998 took up four months residence in the Caretaker’s Studio while on a working holiday in Perth, Western Australia culminating in a group exhibition in October 1998: Cottesloe the People.
In May 1999 my daughter Lola was born in Cape Town and I painted from home.
Early 2002 I took up residence in a shared studio in Bree St. Cape Town.
June 2004 solo exhibition: Exinhibition Inexhibition .
Created and worked on Snug a home ware range 2007.
Moved into Studio in Woodstock 2007. Finalist in The Arts Association of Belville’s 2007 Veleka Art Competition
2009 Solo exhibition in studio : Publiccity
2010 group exhibition at Haas : Urban Lines
Group exhibition : Naked Ambition
2011 group exhibition at Haas – PIN HOLE
2012 Part of the art walk, Art week in Observatory and Woodstock resulting in an ongoing relationship with the JEANETTA BLIGNAUT ART CONSULTANCY, Spier.
2013 Solo exhibition An Honest Day’s Work.
2014 Works donated for Ukuthemba Child foundation are auctioned by Graham Norton , resulting in sales to Mr Norton.
Solo at StateoftheArt in July : A reflection of us.
Solo exhibition Who’s looking at who at Rust and Vrede Gallery.
Group exhibition Ladies first Galerie von Braunbehrens Munich Germany.
Group exhibition : Music and Lyrics at Rust and Vrede.
2015 Solo exhibition “ Nothing in India” Studio Dylan Thomas.
‘Love thy Neighbour’ exhibition at Stateoftheart.
BRKLYNPRJCT – property development and community upliftment program.
Proudly South African Group exhibition at Studio Dylan Thomas.
2016 SAADA art show with Holden Manz East Side studios.
Group exhibition BRKLYN.
Spring exhibition 2017.
SAADA art show with Holden Manz MANZART group show in Joburg.
State of the art spring exhibition.
2018 Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) in New York.
2019 LAND solo exhibition at Stateotheart.