Ellena Lourens

Elléna Lourens

Elléna Lourens is a South African artist practicing in Cape Town. She began working on personal and collaborative creative projects from a young age and has subsequently developed a distinctive style which is highly engaging and contemporary. Throughout her practice, the artist has continued to explore creative outlets which contribute and complement her unique style such as illustration, street art, painting and embroidery. Her style lends itself to the past in its representation of ancient symbols, patterns, and colour schemes , while voicing an intuitively current aesthetic that resonates and seeks to redefine emotional iconography. Her works often have a soft ephemeral feel which creates a delicate contrast between subject matter and graphic visuality of the piece. Her use of reduced colour palettes and bold shapes creates a dynamic conversation between her depiction of human connection and the emotive qualities of colour. She has immersed herself in the creative world, working alongside established artists, as well as furthering her own practice, taking part in shows and creating murals both in South Africa and abroad.


 

SELECTED PROJECTS & EXHIBITIONS

2021 - 99 Loop Gallery, group exhibition, Cape Town; As Far As Forever Will Take Us, group exhibition, Salon Ninety One, Cape Town; Pantone Utopia, group exhibition, Mortal Machine Gallery, New Orleans, USA. 2020 - Paul Senyol Open Studio, group exhibition, Cape Town; Yourban 2030, Color4Action Design; Of Three, joined solo exhibition, Pop Up Place, Cape Town; Out Of Touch, Subliminal Projects exhibition, Los Angeles, California; A hazy shade of winter, group exhibition, Salon Ninety One, Cape Town; solo exhibition, 99 Loop gallery, Cape Town, South Africa. 2019 - Rise, Anon Pop up art show, Cape Town; Cor Cordium, solo exhibition, Hombisa Gallery, Cape Town; Auto Atlantic, group exhibition, Cape Town. 2018 - group exhibition, Hombisa Gallery, Cape Town. 2017 - Juicebox Party, group exhibition, Harlem, New York.


 

AS FAR AS FOREVER WILL TAKE US

09.06 - 10.07.2021

Paul Senyol, Elléna Lourens & Keya Tama

As Far as Forever Will Take Us is an intimate group exhibition featuring the works of Paul Senyol, Elléna Lourens, and Keya Tama.

The Artists, each in a different stage of their career, have a visuality strongly rooted in the language of graphic street art and urbanism. As Far As Forever Will Take Us brings the artists together to collaborate and converse, through painting, the strange concept of forever. For Paul Senyol, the exhibition title calls to mind larger questions about how far is forever, when would this eternity begin, and whether it is a communal or individual journey. The concept of forever, for Elléna Lourens, takes on a soft romantic meaning which suggests young love, promises made and broken, and the way in which intimate moments can make time feel irrelevant. This contrasts with the exuberance and nostalgia of the scenes depicted by Keya Tama; where forever seems to collapse in upon itself and the past, present, and future are all occurring at the very same moment.

Paul is an abstract painter who reflects the details of everyday life, paired down to an empathy with colour, line, and form. The colours and textures of urban and natural environments inform his spontaneous practice in the studio where every material he uses is chosen for the particular mark it can contribute to a finished composition. Elléna’s work often has a soft ephemeral feel which creates a delicate contrast between her subject matter and graphic style of the painting. Her use of reduced colour palettes and bold shapes creates a dynamic conversation between her depiction of human connection and the emotive qualities of colour. Keya’s style can be describe as ancient contemporary minimalism. The artist uses iconography and symbolism from the storehouse of art history and remixes their recurring themes to create stark contrasts and discover unexpected commonalities which produce unusual, arresting, yet strangely familiar works.

ARTWORKS

 

ELLÉNA LOURENS

 

PAUL SENYOL

 

KEYA TAMA

 

INSTALLATION VIEWS

A HAZY SHADE OF WINTER

08.08 - 05.09.2020

A Hazy Shade of Winter is a salon-style group show including works by represented, associated, and exciting new artists. Exhibiting Artists include Adele Van Heerden, Alexia Vogel, Amber Moir, Andrew Sutherland, Black Koki, Elléna Lourens, Keya Tama, Ello Xray Eyez, Emma Nourse, Gabrielle Raaff, Heidi Fourie, Jade Klara, Jeanne Hoffman, Jessica Bosworth Smith, Joh Del, Katrin Coetzer, Katrine Claassens, Keneilwe Mothoa, Kirsten Beets, Kirsten Sims, Laurinda Belcher, Lené Ehlers, Lili Probart, Linsey Levendall, Mareli Esterhuizen, Marolize Southwood, Matthew Prins, Mona Haumann, Natasha Norman, Nicole Clare Fraser, Nina Torr, Paul Senyol, Sarah Pratt, Tara Deacon, and Zarah Cassim.

The group exhibition inspired by the Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name, seeks to explore subject matters, palettes, and imagery which capture and express the varied emotions, colours, memories, and atmosphere, which this season brings. For some artists, winter evokes icy vistas, cool palettes of blues and whites, and the change to colder and shorter days. For others, the changing season elicits a longing for warmer times, the comfort of staying indoors close to the fire, the use of warm and jewel tones, and the desire to capture nature in full bloom.

Winter provides a milestone for the passage of time through the year. For many, 2020 has felt somewhat surreal; time has moved on and the seasons have changed and yet there is a feeling that normal life was a lifetime ago.

Throughout the collection, the viewer is invited to contemplate the artists’ relationship with the season of winter and how something as simple as a change in weather can have a profound impact on the kinds of work they produce.

ARTWORKS:

ADELE VAN HEERDEN

ALEXIA VOGEL

AMBER MOIR

ANDREW SUTHERLAND

BLACK KOKI

ELLÉNA LOURENS | KEYA TAMA

 

ELLO XRAY EYEZ

EMMA NOURSE

GABRIELLE RAAFF

HEIDI FOURIE

JADE KLARA

JEANNE HOFFMAN

JESSICA BOSWORTH SMITH

JOH DEL

KATRIN COETZER

KATRINE CLAASSENS

KENEILWE MOTHOA

KIRSTEN BEETS

KIRSTEN SIMS

LAURINDA BELCHER

LENÉ EHLERS

LILI PROBART

LINSEY LEVENDALL

MARELI ESTERHUIZEN

MAROLIZE SOUTHWOOD

MATTHEW PRINS

MONA HAUMANN

NATASHA NORMAN

NICOLE CLARE FRASER

NINA TORR

PAUL SENYOL

SARAH PRATT

TARA DEACON

ZARAH CASSIM

 

INSTALLATION VIEWS:

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