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JADE DOREEN WALLER, AN INNOVATIVE YOUNG ARTIST FROM CAPE TOWN, IS CREATING A STIR IN THE INTERDISCIPLINARY VISUAL ART
INDUSTRY WITH HER UNIQUE APPROACH TO URBAN CONTEMPORARY ART. HAVING PRESENTED THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SOLO EXHIBITION BETWEEN OURSELVES IN CAPE TOWN TWO YEARS AGO, WALLER IS READY TO DELIVER HER SECOND SHOW, OVERLOAD. FOR OVERLOAD THE ARTIST CREATED AN ENTIRE NEW BODY OF WORK THAT SHOWS OFF HER CREATIVITY AND SKILL. WALLER’S CONCEPTS ARE DEEPLY ROOTED IN URBAN CONTEMPORARY SUBCULTURE, EVIDENT IN THE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF IMAGES IN HER WORK.’

IN BETWEEN OURSELVES, WALLER USHERED A COLLECTION OF SMOOTH, COLD, PEARLESCENT AND UNCLUTTERED PAINTINGS THAT LURED US INTO HER DEEP OCEANIC SUBCONSCIOUS. NOW SHE BLOWS THE DISCERNMENT DEMONSTRATED IN THEIR PREVIOUS WORK ‘OUT THE WATER’ BY EXPELLING EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. OVERLOAD IS ELECTRICALLY CHARGED, CRAMMED AND UNEDITED. EACH PAINTING FORCES A PACKAGE OF IN CONGRUENT VISUAL DATA THAT NOT ONLY REFLECTS WALLER’S THOUGHT PROCESSES BUT ALSO SPEAKS TO THE RANDOMNESS AND EXCLUSIVENESS CONTAINED WITHIN THE MIX OF OUR URBAN VISUAL CULTURE. WALLER’S NEW SCRUPULOUSLY DETAILED PAINTINGS ARE DECEPTIVE. THEY ARE NOT THE PRODUCT OF THE KIND OF PREMEDITATED PROCESS ONE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND IN THE PRESENCE OF SUCH INTRICACY AND CHIAROSCURO. WALLER’S STUDIO IS MORE LIKE A FACTORY WHERE PAINTINGS POP OUT FROM THE NEVER-ENDING CEREBRAL CONVEYOR BELT OF FORMS WHOSE PLACES ARE DESIGNATED ON THE CANVAS. WALLER’S ABILITY TO CAPTURE DETAIL AS FAST AS SHE THINKS IT IS A MEASURE OF HER SUPERB CRAFTSMANSHIP AS WELL AS A MIRROR OF OUR FRENETIC EXISTENCE.

THE WORKS ARE SYMPTOMATIC OF AN INFORMATION OVERLOAD. THEY PRESENT BUNDLES OF TIGHTLY PACKED REGURGITATED SYMBOLS, WHICH PURGE AND SCREAM THE PLETHORA OF SCATTERED THOUGHTS THAT DART AROUND WALLER’S BRAIN DURING AN ENGAGEMENT WITH HER CANVAS HER ALLEGORIES, A GLIMPSE INTO WALLER’S WORLD, ARE SUPERBLY REALISED WITH METICULOUS DETAIL REMINISCENT OF DUTCH AND FLEMISH STYLES, MAKING HER WORK SHOW A BIZARRE JUXTAPOSITION IF OBJECTS IN UNEXPECTED ARRANGEMENTS; THEIR REALIST EXECUTION WITH THEIR SUGARED-UP YET MATALLIC USE OF COLOUR ALL WORK TO CREATE ARTWORKS THAT SPEAK TO THE DISCOURSE OF POP SURREALISM, IN WHICH YOUNG ARTISTS USE TRADITIONAL METHODS IN CONTEMPORARY WAYS.

WHILST BEING MESMERIZED BY THE SUMPTUOUSNESS OF HER PAINTWORK, THE ONLOOKER IS MET WITH CLUSTERS OF A CONSTIPATED CONSUMERIST CULTURE ABOUT TO EXPLODE. TRAPPED INSIDE WALLER’S BRAIN, BY WAY OF HER PAINTINGS, ONE FEELS ASSAULTED BY THE DENSELY PACKED METEORITES OF URBAN STREET CULTURE LIKE A VIRUS INHABITING HER MIND, IT’S EASY TO FEEL CONTAMINATED BY HER CORRUPT ORGANISMS. WITHIN THE INFECTED GALAXIES OF HER DAYDREAMS, WALLER’S CONGLOMERATES OF TOYS, PILLS, FOOD, BODY PARTS, CARTOON ICONS, INSECTS, BRIC-A-BRAC, GAMES AND ACCESSORIES BECOME SUSPENDED BETWEEN THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF CREATION. WHILE HER PAINTINGS CAPTURE A PRIVATE CEREBRAL CONVERSATION, THEY OFFER A CRYSTAL CLEAR REFLECTION OF THE TRANSIENT AND ACCUMULATIVE SYMBOLS OF OUR URBAN EXISTENCE.

WALLER’S UNIQUE ABILITY TO INNOVATIVELY MANIPULATE AND COMBINE CONTRASTING IMAGES OFFERS A LUCID INSIGHT INTO HOW SHE INTERPRETS AND PERCEIVES HER SURROUNDING REALITY.

WALLER HAS RECENTLY PAIRED UP WITH A DUTCH ARTIST, LOES VAN DELFT, WHERE THEY CREATE HIGHLY CONTRASTING PAINTINGS BY MERGING TOTALLY DIFFERENT STYLES. THEIR FIRST COLLABORATIONS GAINED MAJOR ATTENTION AND SOLD ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, THEY HAVE BECOME MOTIVATED TO CREATE MORE.

SO AS THEY BOTH STILL KEEP TO AND PERSUE SEPARATE/INDIVIDUAL WORKS AND EXHIBITIONS – THEIR OWN CAREERS – THEY ARE VERY EXCITED TO PRESENT MORE COLLABORATIVE PAINTINGS.